


The Beasts Within

by rumpunchhh



Category: Naruto
Genre: Accidentally created an entire clan, Action/Adventure, Angst, BAMF Nara Shikamaru, Canon-Typical Violence, Dreams and Nightmares, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Romance, F/M, Families of Choice, Family Issues, Hatake Kakashi is a Good Teacher, Hug this girl, Kekkei Genkai | Bloodline Limit, Kirigakure | Hidden Mist Village, Konohagakure | Hidden Leaf Village, Major Original Character(s), Nara Shikamaru is a Good Friend, Original Character(s), POV Gaara (Naruto), POV Nara Shikamaru, POV Original Character, POV Original Female Character, POV Uchiha Sasuke, Secret Identity, Secret Past, Shikamaru is a good brother, Shounen, Shounen Fights, Slow Burn, Sunagakure | Hidden Sand Village, Temari is a good friend, Uchiha Sasuke Being an Asshole, Uzumaki Naruto is a Good Friend, Went a little overboard, seriously i like to slap her around
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:01:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 25,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28846455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rumpunchhh/pseuds/rumpunchhh
Summary: She thought she could run from her past. She thought she could start over, escape the demons that had chased her for her entire life. What she doesn't realize is that the moment she entered the Leaf Village, her life would change forever. She learns that happiness is a choice you make, and  thanks to the support of her new friends, and a certain red-headed sand user from her past, that everyone deserves a second chance.Follow the events of Naruto told from the point of view of original character, with some guest POVs along the way.
Relationships: Gaara (Naruto)/Original Character(s), Gaara (Naruto)/Original Female Character(s), Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Kudos: 6





	1. Intro & Chapter 1: Enter Mizushima Kairi

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! I have never published a fanfiction, but have been toying with this concept for literally like 10 years now so decided what the heck, might as well PUBLISHHHH. Please let me know what you think in the comments!! Always open to feedback.

**{Intro}**

_The forest was quiet, undisturbed in its early evening quiet. A rustle, and all of a sudden a cloaked figure burst out of the trees, dodging in and out of branches. The figure dove suddenly to avoid a flurry of kunai and shuriken hurtling towards it, and then continued her mad dash forward. Three pursuers suddenly appeared several feet behind the cloaked figure, but she managed to keep a steady distance. Up ahead, a large gate loomed out of the trees. With a smile, the girl under the cloak began to form hand signs, but in her distraction a kunai had found its mark in the center of her back. The cloaked figure gasped out in pain, but continued to form hand signs until her body began to glow. While still in mid-jutsu, three other kunai found their mark, completely knocking the figure out of the tree line and onto the road. The last thing the girl heard was a scream before everything went black._

**{001} Enter: Kairi Mizushima**

_He was back. He’d been haunting her dreams for almost two years now. He was standing in front of her, back to her, kunai raised. Running towards him as fast as her feet will take her, she screamed in frustration as his back receded further and further. Finally, she’s close enough. Now will be the time she ends this for good. He grabs her arm, but she uses the momentum to fling a punch with all her might at him and -_

"Ahhhhh!!!"

Kairi snapped her fiery orange eyes open and jerked upward, wincing. Absentmindedly, she patted her back, searching for the four kunai, but instead was greeted to a bandage through the gown she was wearing. _Wait, gown?_ Narrowing her eyes, she finally began to take in her surroundings. Pristine bed, white walls, white curtains surrounding her bed... _Hospital._

Disrupting the endlessly bland surroundings were three kids around her same age. Kairi had awoken to utter chaos. A blonde boy was splayed upside down on the wall directly opposite her, and the two other kids, a boy and a girl, were too busy berating him to notice Kairi.

"You idiot, I told you not to touch her!" a girl with alarmingly bright pink hair shouted at the boy against the wall, her face red with rage."She started muttering! I thought she’d finally wake up!” the blonde complained, rubbing his head as he pulled himself right-side up.

The two continued to bicker while a good-looking boy in the corner shook his head at his comrades.

"Well, either way she's awake now, so stop acting like a bunch of idiots," he snapped. The three turned to stare at Kairi, whose only response to the sudden scrutiny was to close her eyes and awkwardly wave at the group, chuckling uncomfortably. The blonde gave a goofy grin and stood up, pointing to himself.

"YOU’RE LOOKING AT THE NUMBER ONE NINJA IN THE VILLAGE! THE NAME'S NARUTO UZUMAKI! BELIEVE IT!" he yelled, goofy grin still in place. 

Kairi grinned in response. “I wish I knew I’d be meeting the top ninja, I would’ve at least put on pants”. Naruto grinned and rubbed the back of his head in response, while the pink-haired girl sighed exasperatedly. She turned to Kairi and smiled. 

"Sakura, Sakura Haruno." 

"Sakura, like the cherry blossom?" Kairi asked. Sakura nodded, smiling slightly. 

“Did you dye your hair to match or is that just a lucky coincidence?” Kairi asked innocently while batting her eyes. This earned a snort from Naruto. Sakura, however, merely gave a polite smile. 

“It’s why my parents named me, actually.” Kairi nodded in response, and turned her attention to the last kid, who was glaring at her from the corner. 

_Well two can play at that game._ Kairi shook out her long turquoise hair and responded with her best deranged smile. She must be going soft, because he failed to immediately drop to the floor and scream for mercy. The seconds ticked by uncomfortably. Sakura and Naruto looked back and forth between the two of them uncomfortably. Finally, Kairi groaned. 

"And who are you?” she asked, thoroughly annoyed at her defeat.

"Sasuke. Uchiha." He bit out, still glaring. Naruto frowned at him, while Sakura nervously looked at him.

  
"Charming." Kairi replied sardonically, masking her surprise at his clan name. She had heard the entire clan had been wiped out years ago, yet here was one glaring at her in her hospital room. This was going to be more of a drag than she had thought.

“So who are you?” Naruto asked eagerly. Sakura turned back to Kairi and put her nice face back on, while Sasuke remained glaring at Kairi from the corner. Here we go. 

“Me? Oh, no one special. Just passing on through.” She replied vaguely, waving her hand. _“_ Name is Kairi. Kairi Mizushima.”

“A traveler who just happened to end up with 4 kunai in her back right outside the village gates?” Sasuke replied, eyes narrowing.

Kairi’s calm mask remained as she hid her growing frustration. This was going to be harder than she had thought. 

“Let’s just say I had a bit of a disagreement with my old village” _True._

“What kind of disagreement?”

“Well, for starters, I was born.” _Also true._

Naruto and Sakura exchanged a confused look while Sasuke retained his glare. Kairi rolled her eyes and continued.

“I’m from the Village Hidden in the Mist. Blood Mist Village.” she replied patiently. _Not entirely inaccurate._

Finally, that got a reaction. All three froze, then Sakura whipped her head to look at her teammates, face slack with surprise and a hint of fear. Naruto’s face fell, and even Sasuke paused his interrogation, though his glare didn’t slip.

“We actually just got back from a mission. We faced two ninja from the Hidden Mist.” Naruto began dejectedly. 

Sasuke re-focused his glare on him while Naruto continued “One of them was this really bad dude, some guy named Zabuza -“

“Zabuza Momichi?? As in the wielder of the Executioner's Blade, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist?? The Demon of the Mist who was run out of the village after an attempted assassination of the Mizukage?” Kairi blurted out, unable to resist. These CHILDREN had faced Zabuza? That guy was a legend, if an infamous one at that. He was in practically every Bingo Book under the sun. Yet these three had faced him and lived to tell the tale. So much for the “ _demon of the mist”_.

Stunned, the three nodded. “There was another guy, a kid really. Haku. He had a special jutsu and was from the Mist too.” Naruto continued, face falling. They all looked dejected, and even Sasuke managed to glare harder. Whatever mission these three had been on, it must’ve been one hell of a time if they had twisted up with Zabuza and a kid with a kekkei genkai from the Mist.

“I don’t know a Haku, but if he had a kekkei genkai, it’s no wonder he left the Mist,” Kairi replied bitterly. 

Her tone must have piqued their interest. “You said your village is chasing you because you were born. Does that mean you also have a kekkei genkai?” Sakura asked. Kairi raised her eyebrows in surprise. Sakura had put two and two together almost immediately. Pretty impressive for a life sized cotton candy.

Kairi grinned. She looked around, and saw that someone had left her a glass of water on the bedside table. _Perfect._

“As a matter of fact…” Kairi smirked as she moved one hand into a hand sign. The water floated out of the glass, moving in a ball to her outstretched other hand. She closed her eyes, and focused on pouring her chakra into the water, molding it slowly to the form she wanted. Kairi’s other hand then performed three succinct hand signs, causing the water to freeze into a perfect cherry blossom. She tossed the blossom at Sakura, who caught it in a daze. All three look stunned. Kairi folded her hands behind her head and grinned smugly in response.

“Well, wasn’t that impressive” A new voice called from the doorway. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know what you think as we go on!!


	2. Team Kakashi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOOOO I wonder who that could've been at the end of Ch 1- JK YALL KNOW RIGHT???

All four of them turned towards the doorway, where a man in his mid-twenties slouched against the door, a book in one hand. A bored expression rested on his face, or rather, his eye, which was the only part of his face that wasn’t covered by a mask and headband. His hair is silver and long and … somehow inexplicably tilting at a 45 degree angle. Kairi cocked her head to the side.  _ How in the world did he get his hair like that? Did he have to sit upside down and then gel it? Did it fall over the course of the day?  _

While Kairi tried to solve what must be the greatest hair mystery of the universe, the man was attempting to fend off his students’ interrogation.

“Kakashi-Sensei! You’re late!” Naruto and Sakura shouted at the man. Even Sasuke seemed exasperated. Kairi snapped out of her internal hair debate and stared at the man.  _ Kakashi, wait, I know that name…why do I know that name…,  _ she thought frustrated

He turned to the three and grinned sheepishly.

“Sorry guys, I was on my way but a black cat crossed my path and –“

“LIES!” Naruto and Sakura screamed. Kairi chuckled. It seemed like this was a common occurrence.

At the sound of her chuckle, the man, Kakashi turned to face Kairi. 

“It’s good to see you’re finally awake. I see you’ve met me students, and you’ve been keeping them entertained as well” He gestured towards Sakura’s frozen cherry blossom. “My name is Kakashi Hatake. Nice to meet you, Kairi was it?” His tone was friendly enough, but Kairi wasn’t a fool. Without a doubt, this man could take down every person in the room without breaking a sweat. Hell, he could probably do it while still reading that book he was holding. There was only one thing to do in this kind of situation - stall until you get a better idea. Kairi plastered a smile on her face.

“Yes, Kairi. Pleasure to make your acquaintance,” she replied evenly. If Kakashi sensed her unease, he ignored it. 

“You gave us quite a scare. We were on our way back from a mission when you fell out of the trees. Landed right on top of Naruto. Thankfully we were able to get you to the Medical Center right away,” he explained.

Kairi nodded. So that explained that scream before she blacked out, and why these three idiots were in her room - guard duty until she woke up, then figure out why she was attacked so close to the village and determine if the threat was coming for them next.

“I was telling your team I was just passing by when I was attacked. I’ll be out of your hair once I’ve healed,” Kairi replied. 

“Wait, Kairi, but if you aren’t allowed in your village, where will you go?” Naruto asked. He seemed genuinely worried. Kairi almost believed it.

“Like I said, I’m a traveler. I don’t need a home. As for where I’m going, I’m planning on going as far away as possible,” Kairi replied. Her mouth twitched, and she turned to gaze out the window. “Where they’ve never heard of the Mist Village,” she whispered, almost to herself. 

“There’s no need to be so dramatic. As soon as you’re feeling up to it, the Hokage would like to meet you.” Kakashi replied, maintaining his easy tone.

Yeah, likely. The Hokage wanted to meet her – more like interrogate, torture, and execute her. Fat chance she would be letting THAT happen.

“You know, I’m suddenly feeling a lot better. I think I can leave now,” Kairi replied drily as she flung back the covers and hopped out of bed, hiding a wince. She was definitely NOT better, but it was time to leave before things got any stickier. Kairi again cursed her own sloppiness - if only she had been more careful she never would’ve ended up in this mess. 

“Great to hear. Once you’ve changed, we can escort you to the Hokage. Oh, and don’t forget your bag, it’s under the bed.” Kakashi said.. He turned, and waved his hand as he left. “C’mon you three, let’s give her some space,” he called, beckoning the three ninja follow him outside. Naruto gave Kairi a thumbs up and strolled out of her room, while Sasuke simply ignored her outright and left as well. Sakura, on the other hand, gave Kairi a nervous smile and handed her a wrapped package that must have been under her chair.

“Your clothes were torn and dirty, not to mention covered in blood. I managed to wash all the blood off and have them repaired as best I could, but you might want to get some new clothes all the same,” she said as she handed Kairi the bundle. Kairi stared at her blankly.  _ She washed and mended my clothes?  _ she thought incredulously. 

“Th-thank you, Sakura. They look great. Better than they have in years, in fact,” Kairi replied earnestly, still shell-shocked. Sakura smiled and hurried after her teammates, leaving Kairi dumbfounded and staring at a pile of clothes, wondering how she’d get herself out of this one. 

A short time later, Kairi emerged from her room. Thanks to Sakura, her old clothes were as good as new. Her long skirt was positioned over her right leg, while her left leg showed off her ninja tool bag and short, black shorts over fishnets that ran to the top of her black ninja shoes. Her long sleeved teal shirt with laces through a deep v-neck fell to her mid torso, showing off fishnets that covered the rest of her midsection. Her hands and arms were wrapped in bandages out of habit. Her only ornament was a thin black ribbon around her neck. She had tugged her long, turquoise hair into a high ponytail, a few errant strands falling around her face. Kairi stretched, reveling in how easy movement came in her regular clothes as opposed to the stiff hospital gown.

Plus, the long, flowing sleeves hid the twin blades Kairi had strapped to her upper arms.

“Sakura, you’re amazing! They’re as good as new!” She exclaimed sincerely. Sakura blushed and grinned.

Kairi returned the grin, tossing her pitiful looking travel bag over her shoulder, and then turned her full attention to Kakashi, who was still reading the same book as before.

“So, uh, how set are you on seeing the Hokage,” she asked in her sweetest voice, shooting her fingers at him.

“Pretty set,” he replied cheerfully, as he turned and began walking in the opposite direction, his eyes still fixed on the book. She sighed and dropped her head in defeat. He lazily gestured to follow him with one hand as his three students moved behind Kairi. 

_ Yeah, sure, I’m a guest. Just a guest with a 4 man escort who will kill me if I sneeze in the wrong direction. _

Whether she liked it or not, it seemed like Kairi was going to meet the Hokage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think!! Hopefully y'all like it so far! Let's see how Kairi fares meeting the Hokage....


	3. The Third Hokage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok I know the chapters are really short right now but I promise they'll start getting longer!!

Even Kairi had to admit, this village was beautiful. 

Despite walking towards what had to be her impending doom, not even she could deny that the village was charming, with its small buildings and homey shops, underneath the stern view of the Hokages watching from a cliff above. She could even see the vast forest surrounding the border of the village. The entire way, Naruto pointed out landmarks and kept a steady stream of babble about his favorite places to eat, his ranking of ramen types, and the pros and cons of microwave ramen versus store bought. Kairi tried to keep up the conversation, but she couldn’t help being distracted by how…good the village seemed to be. Adults chatting by stands, kids playing in the streets. It was…quiet. Peaceful. She found herself looking wistfully at the villagers, wishing she could be with them instead of on this ludicrous death march.

Her daydream shattered abruptly as she ran into an immovable wall, which turned out to be Kakashi. Bouncing back and rubbing her head, Kairi looked up to see the large, red doors of a very large building.  _ This has to be the Hokage’s building.  _ She gulped. This man was the most powerful person in the whole village, and one of the most powerful people in the ninja world. She followed Kakashi slowly up the stairs and through a long hallway. He stopped in front of a double door, and Kairi knew her trial was about to begin. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Kakashi peering at her over the edge of his book, silently waiting for her to make a move. 

Oblivious to the obvious tension, Naruto looked between Kairi and Kakashi and back again.

“Well, what are we waiting for! Let’s go!” He cried as he pushed through the door. Sakura and Sasuke merely shook their heads and followed him. Kairi took a deep breath, preparing herself to make a move. However, her feet were firmly rooted to the ground. She couldn’t move, couldn’t bring herself to walk into the office. Her heart was beating wildly out of control. She felt a trickle of sweat roll down her face. The last time she was in a kage’s office…

Kairi shook her head. No. This is different.  _ You will be brave. _ Kakashi had actually stopped reading at this point and was watching her internal battle silently. As if knowing Kairi had made her decision, he nodded and followed his students inside. Kairi took another deep breath and followed him confidently into the room. 

To say the Hokage wasn’t what she had expected would be an understatement. The Hokage wasn’t just getting a bit on; he was old enough to be her grandfather. Hard to believe this geezer was the strongest ninja in the entire village. The hokage was frowning at Naruto, while a young man behind him animatedly berated the young ninja for a lack of propriety. The hokage sighed, then peered past Naruto to look at Kairi. The young man noticed the shift in attention and stopped his lecture, turning to look at her as well. The room suddenly went silent, all eyes on her. Kairi shifted uncomfortably under the attention and moved herself a bit behind Kakashi. The Hokage smiled.

"Now, now, don't be shy. Now, tell me, who are you, and what brings you to the Leaf Village?”

Kairi opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out. Against her will, her hands had begun to shake, and her heart was beating wildly out of control.  _ Last time...last time… _ unconsciously, Kairi brought her hand to her throat where the ribbon was tied. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t be brave. She had to get out. Now.

Just as she was about to turn and attempt to sprint out of the hallway, Naruto turned back to look at her, a puzzled look on his face. 

“Hello, Kairi?! What’s going on?” He turned back to the old man and wrapped his arms behind his head. “I don’t know why she’s being so weird. Her name is Kairi Mizu-something. She’s from the Mist, but had to leave because she can turn water into ice flowers or something like that,” he said, nonchalantly. Sakura groaned, and Sasuke shook his head. Kairi stared at him blankly.  _ He’s not exactly one to go around calling other people weird...talk about a weirdo.  _ However, Naruto’s interruption had jerked her out of her panic. Kairi shook her head, cleared her throat, and walked to the front of the room.  _ I WILL be brave. _

"Kairi MizuSHIMA, sir, former genin of the Village Hidden in the Mist. I was just passing through the area when I was ambushed by three Mist trackers,” she answered confidently. Tilting her head towards Naruto, she continued, “And I can do more than turn water into ice flowers.” 

The Hokage nodded. “A runaway from the Mist, you say?” He leaned forward in his chair, staring intently. Kairi gulped. “It must be quite the Kekkei Genkei, to have three Mist trackers come after you.”

Kairi shrugged. “It’s nothing super fancy, just your basic ice style jutsus. My abilities developed 2 years ago after a mission, a few months after I had graduated from the Academy. When it was discovered, I barely escaped. I’ve been on the run ever since.”  _ Technically true. _

He peered at Kairi a bit longer, then nodded, apparently satisfied with her answer. The Mist’s hatred of kekkei genkais was well known, but their persecution unsupported, allegedly, by the other four hidden villages. 

“And you’re on your own, I take it?” He asked softly.

Kairi clenched her hands into fists and looked down. Despite her vow to be brave, her body began to quiver again.  _ Alone _ . “Yes,” she bit out, still staring at the ground. “I’m alone.” Gathering herself, she looked back up, fiery orange eyes meeting the Hokage’s black ones. He peered intently at her, as if trying to look into her very soul.

After several more agonizing moments of the old man’s intense scrutiny, he stood up.  _ Well, here it comes.  _ Kairi’s eyes darted around the room, but the only exits she could note was the large window behind the Hokage or the door she had used to enter the room. Neither option was ideal; Kakashi and his team were between her and the door, and the Hokage and his advisors were in front of the window. Either way required a fight, and she would have to neutralize her opponents immediately or risk having an attack from the back. The Hokage was still walking towards her as she continued to evaluate escape options, growing more dismayed by the second. Finally, the Hokage was directly in front of her. Kairi leveled her gaze at him, refusing to flinch.  _ If this is how it ends, so be it, but let me die with my head up. _

That’s when the Hokage, the most powerful ninja in the village, perhaps the most powerful ninja in the world, put both hands on her shoulders and smiled.

Kairi frowned in confusion. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the look of horror on the face of one of his advisors, an older man wearing black sunglasses, while the younger man who had yelled at Naruto smiled faintly. She turned her attention to the Hokage, whose eyes began to twinkle. 

“Kairi Mizushima, you are welcome to stay in this village as long as you need to, under our protection. You may also leave if you wish, but, if you decide that you would like to once again pursue the path of a ninja, you may train as a fourth member of Kakashi Hatake’s Team 7, provided that’s alright with Kakashi.” He turned his gaze towards Kakashi, who was still holding his book and watching the exchange with a bemused expression on his face. He looked at Kairi’s shocked expression and chuckled, then nodded slightly. The Hokage turned back to her. “It is your choice, then,” he said softly.

The advisor who had looked so horrified when the Hokage had first approached Kairi stood up, slamming his hands against the desk. “Lord Hokage, are you sure that this is the wisest decision? This girl is an unknown entity from a rival village, how do we know she isn’t a spy or –“

“Ebisu, does that mean you are questioning my decision?” The old man replied. Though his smile hadn’t faltered, his tone had hardened, and Kairi glimpsed, for the first time, the warrior beneath the surface.

“N-n-no sir,” the man stuttered, as he sat down, defeated. Kairi heard Naruto chuckle behind her and heard him mutter something that sounded suspiciously like “closet pervert”, though a look from the young man at the Hokage’s desk silenced him quickly.

“This is not the first time we have had refugees come to our village. In times of war it happened all too often that children were chased from their homes, their families destroyed. Especially from places who did not understand abilities that differed from their own. The Leaf Village can maintain the old custom of closing our borders, and sentence this child to almost certain death. Or, perhaps we can choose a new way…” He replied thoughtfully.

Against her better judgement, Kairi felt a shred of hope. This is not how she had expected this conversation to go at all. This man...these people...they were genuinely offering her a chance to start over, to have a new home. To begin again. This place…Kairi had been right, it was different. Perhaps… _ No. You have a purpose, and pretending to fit in here is not it. Focus, you idiot. You don’t have time for pretty daydreams.  _ Kairi fought off a wave of guilt as she nodded. “I think I would like that very much, Lord Hokage.”

The Hokage nodded, and looked over her shoulder. “Naruto, you have plenty of room in that apartment of yours. Until we sort out proper living, you and Kairi can be roommates.”

Naruto let out a whoop of joy. “Well ok then! Kairi, I have so many flavors of ramen for you to try, and we can train together and everything.”

The Hokage nodded. “Ok, it’s settled. Kairi Mizushima, you are hereby designated a probationary trainee on Team 7 under Kakashi Hatake. You will train and go on missions, and after a few months, if Kakashi deems you worthy, you will become a genin of the Hidden Leaf Ninja and earn your leaf headband. Until then, all of you are dismissed.” 

The Hokage winked at Kairi, who was still staring at him, dumbstruck, then turned and headed back to his desk. Naruto grabbed her wrist and pulled her out the door, shaking her out of her stupor, telling her all about this ramen place he would take her for dinner. The rest began to follow.

“Oh, Kakashi, stay here so we can work out some of the details.” The Hokage called from his desk. Kairi stole one more look at the old man, who, as if he could feel her gaze, looked up and met her eyes. He gave her one more smile before turning his attention to Kakashi. Kairi turned back to Naruto and the rest of Team 7, her team.

_ I will just stay here for a bit and gather my strength. That’s it. Just a brief rest point, somewhere to keep my head down and stay safe. Then I’ll move on with my plan.  _

Little did she know how wrong she was.

\-------------------Third Hokage's POV——————————————————————

The Hokage turned toward Kakashi, who sighed deeply.

“So I suppose I’ll be keeping an eye on her for the foreseeable future?” Kakashi sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

The Hokage nodded. “She isn’t lying outright, but she’s definitely hiding something. And, well, I’m sure you must have noticed the obvious.”

Kakashi nodded _.  _ “Impressive, to say the least, especially for her age. Are you sure it’s the wisest decision to let her stay? We have no idea her motives, the full extent of her abilities-“

“That’s why I put her under your charge, Kakashi,” the Hokage interrupted. He stared off into the distance. “I don’t know what the child’s motives are, but I don’t sense any hostility from her. Just keep a close eye on her, and the truth will emerge, eventually.”

Kakashi nodded, bowed, and left the room. The Hokage sighed and turned back to the window, just in time to see Naruto still yanking Kairi by her wrist, who was now laughing freely. He frowned as he watched them, his thoughts churning.

_ I hope I have not made a huge mistake. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that was unexpected! Poor Kakashi, his team is already A LOT and now he has to deal with Kairi. Also if you're worried Kairi and Naruto might be a disastrous combo......you might not be wrong.


	4. Nightwalks

Lying on the couch, Kairi closed her eyes, still in disbelief over her day. She had walked into the Hokage’s office expecting to be executed, and instead, he offered her a place in the village, a team, and a home. 

She sighed, then groaned and grabbed her full stomach. Naruto hadn’t been kidding about Ichiraku being the best ramen in the world, though she had shocked both Naruto and the two ramen shop owners when she had devoured 7 bowls without stopping for air. Kairi couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten such good food, or the last time she had really felt full. After dinner, they’d walked back to Naruto’s shabby apartment, where he had excitedly showed her around the dingy flat. With a pang of sadness, she had realized that he was also alone, just like her. Kairi had been hit by a strong sense of kinship with Naruto, whose jovial and carefree nature stood in stark contrast to his lonely apartment. He had apologized for making her stay on the couch, explaining he didn’t often have guests but he figured she would be more comfortable out in the main area. Kairi had thanked him, and assured him the couch was a lot nicer than some places she had stayed. Naruto had paused then, unsure how to respond to that statement, then awkwardly wished her goodnight and told her the team was meeting at the bridge near the center of town the next day at 8 am if she woke up before him. 

Yawning, Kairi stretched out on the couch and curled on her side, hoping sleep would find her quickly. It was going to be an interesting day tomorrow.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_ The man stood there, laughing at her as she sprinted through a river towards him. As she got closer, she could barely make out shapes lying on the floor around him. To her horror, she realized that the shapes were bodies. A dozen bodies. Twenty. Fifty. A hundred. She looked down and realized it was a river of blood she was running through. She opened her mouth to scream as the blood rose to swallow her whole -  _

Kairi shot up straight, the momentum causing her to fall promptly off the couch. She groaned, her injured back screaming at her in protest. She looked out the window and groaned again. Dawn was still a few hours off, but there was no way she was going back to sleep after that dream. She rolled around on the ground, struggling to untangle from the sheets that had ensnared her during her fall. Finally, she freed herself and stood upright, debating what to do. Sighing, she grabbed her equipment pouch and put her shoes on, then headed out the door, locking it behind her. If she was going to be awake, she might as well be productive.

Kairi wandered through the deserted village, dead quiet in the early hours in the morning. She was still mulling over her dream when she found herself walking on grass instead of stone. Puzzled, she looked up, then whirled around in confusion. Kairi had wandered all the way into the forest that surrounded the village, and was now standing in a small clearing. 

Shaking her head in amazement at her own lack of awareness, Kairi flicked her arms to palm her knives one at a time. They were different from the average kunai; her knives were longer, with a finer blade and delicate hilt covered in intricate flames and waves. She began flipping them one after another to warm up. She then began to slice at the air, in slow arcs, getting faster with each movement, moving her entire body to dodge, dip, and move along the field. Soon, she was moving around the entire field, slicing the air viciously with her knives in a deadly dance of steel. She continued this dance until her blood was pumping, sweat ran down her forehead, and all thoughts of the nightmare were thoroughly driven from her mind. She hadn’t slept well in years, and training was the only foolproof way she’d found to distract herself from the spectres that haunted her subconscious. She closed her eyes, relishing the movements and how quickly her body moved across the field. She spun around suddenly, flinging one knife one direction, the other in the opposite, then palming kunai after kunai, continuing the same action of throwing them toward unseen opponents, until finally she was surrounded by trees pierced dead center with a kunai. 

Kairi smirked, smug at her handy work. She began to move forward to collect her kunai when she paused, the hairs on the back of her neck sticking up. There was someone watching her. She couldn’t be sure who it was, but the forest itself seemed to be holding its breath, waiting for a confrontation. She waited a few minutes, silently preparing for an ambush, but nothing came. Silence greeted her as the minutes dragged on. Whoever was watching her made no move to show themselves. It must be Kakashi, or someone under orders from the Hokage to keep an eye on her. Her pursuers that drove her to the Leaf were many things, but subtle was certainly not one of them. Shrugging, Kairi grabbed each of her kunai, putting away most in her equipment bag and re-positioning the two strange looking ones in the sheaths on her arms.

Kairi stretched. She would’ve liked to practice with her knives for longer, but her back was still sore, so she decided to focus instead on a jutsu she had been working on for weeks. Kairi sat on the ground crosslegged, putting one of her knives in front of her, placing her hands in a basic hand sign in front of her. So far, she had mastered basic ice jutsus, but larger ones, ones powerful enough to freeze an opponent in their tracks, had eluded her. The only time she’d been partially successful was when she’d been standing on a lake and had plenty of water available. But she should have been able to use the moisture in the air. Kairi focused, reaching out to feel the water in the air. She’d only been able to do this the last 18 months, but even as a little kid she could always find water. It was in her blood, a part of her just as much as her own chakra was. Kairi felt the moisture, and focused on gathering it around the knife on the ground. When she felt like she’d gathered enough liquid around the knife, she performed three succinct handsigns and released her chakra into the water, muttering a jutsu under her breath. The air temperature dropped for a moment, a slight breeze, then all was still. 

Hesitantly, Kairi cracked an eye to check the knife, then groaned in response. The knife had frozen, yes, but the layer of ice was paper-thin. Muttering to herself, Kairi flicked the kunai and the ice slid right off and melted on the ground. Again and again she tried, but while the ice got mildly thicker, it never reached the strength she was aiming for. The unwanted audience only increased her annoyance until Kairi was so thoroughly irritated she could no longer focus the water vapor around the knife. Throwing her hands in the air, she grabbed the knife, once again flicked it back up her sleeve, and flounced out of the clearing, stomping towards the village. Only then did she realize that it was light outside, the village bustling in the early morning of the day. The horrible realization struck her - she was late for her first day with Team 7. Cursing, Kairi took off in a sprint towards the direction of the bridge, which Naruto had pointed out after dinner the night before.  _ Tonight,  _ she thought _. Tonight I can master this jutsu. Then I can leave. I just have to maintain pretenses until then. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one was a little short, but the next one is longer (just needed to set things up and also remind y'all that our girl here has TROUBLES)


	5. Kairi vs. Naruto!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHO'S READY FOR SOME DRAMMAAAAAA

Panting, Kairi finally arrived at the bridge, only to notice that she wasn’t the last person to arrive. Sakura and Sasuke were already there, but Naruto and Kakashi-sensei were nowhere to be found. Sakura noticed her approach, and smiled.

“Good morning, Kairi! No worries, Kakashi-sensei and Naruto are always late. I’m glad you were able to find us,” she said warmly.

“Yeah, I completely lost track of time, but Naruto pointed this place out last night so I was able to find it ok,” Kairi replied, still bent over in an attempt to catch her breath after the mad sprint over. She turned her gaze towards Sasuke, who was glaring at her even more intensely than yesterday. After a sleepless night, a frustrating training session, and an unwanted early morning run, Kairi’s patience had finally run out.

“And just what might YOUR problem be, or is your face just permanently stuck like that?” Kairi snapped. Though she’d thought it was impossible, somehow Sasuke managed to glare even harder at her. 

"I don't trust you," he replied in a clipped tone.    


"Well, tough kunai, because I’m your teammate now, so you better get used to me,” Kairi fired back, straightening up and returning his glare. Sasuke snorted, and closed his eyes, slouching against the bridge. Sakura looked nervously between the two, obviously torn if she should interject.

"Doesn't mean I have to like you," he replied, shrugging. 

_ Oh, you want to play it that way, do you? _ ` she thought. Kairi opened her mouth, baring her teeth at him.

"Wow, you’re charming. Absolutely lovely manners. Your mother must be so proud…oh wait..." she replied, trailing off. At this Sasuke shot up, murder in his eyes, and stormed over to her. Kairi grinned maliciously, taunting him. She was spoiling for a fight, a chance to punch something. Repeatedly.

Sasuke approached until he was standing right in front of her, sizing her up. To Kairi’s annoyance, he was quite a bit taller than her, and she had to look up to meet his eyes. 

“Well how bout it pretty boy, how about we go a few rounds, hmm?” she purred, eyes narrowing. 

“Fine by me,” he ground out. At this, Sakura threw both hands in between us. 

“Alright, that’s about enough. Kairi, seriously, you’re being rude, there’s no need for any of this!” Sakura lectured, sternly looking at Kairi, who was staring at her, incredulously. 

“ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?? He’s the one who started it and you’re taking HIS side? Unbelievable,” Kairi exclaimed, throwing a dirty look at Sakura. Sakura’s frown wavered. Her interruption, however, seemed to have brought Sasuke back to earth, who took a deep breath and placed a bored expression on his face. “Sakura’s right. Plus, you aren’t worth my time anyway,” he replied, sauntering back to resume slouching against the bridge. Kairi flared her nostrils in frustration, and was about to open her mouth to provoke Sasuke again when Naruto sprinted up. “What I miss guys? Man, I can’t believe I overslept,” he lamented. He then looked up at the three of them, noticing the tension simmering in the air. “Uh, what I miss,” he asked, scratching the back of his head in confusion. Kairi took a deep breath, then shot him a grin.

“Sasuke is too chicken for a little pre-training fight, but I’m betting you aren’t, are you, Naruto?” she asked, cocking an eyebrow.

At this, Naruto grinned. “Well alright, let’s go!” Kairi returned his grin, and the two moved into positions opposite one another. Naruto smirked. “Let’s just disarm, ok? I don’t really want to hurt a girl.” 

“Oh, really? I was about to say the same to you,” Kairi teased. She tossed a look at Sakura. “Start the match, would ya?”

Sakura frowned, but rolled her eyes and shrugged. “Alright. On my count. 3, 2, 1...begin!” 

As soon as she yelled, Naruto threw three shuriken at Kairi, who dodged easily, palming one of her knives. He ran at her, kunai in hand, and began slicing towards her, trying to get an opening. Kairi easily parried his strikes, then flipped back, out of reach. Naruto ran at her again, this time making a handsign.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he shouted, and suddenly 5 Narutos were charging at her.  _ Shadow clones, huh? This is a fun surprise,  _ Kairi thought to herself as she threw her knives at two of the clones, then punched one in the chin, kicked another one that had jumped towards her, and without looking, slammed her fist into the face of one trying to get her from behind. This Naruto, instead of disappearing, rolled backwards. So that was the real one. Before he had a chance to get up, Kairi vanished and appeared right behind him, kunai at his neck.

"Game over." she purred, a smug grin on her face.

"How did you...you were over there and then...wow" he stuttered, obviously in shock. Kairi smirked, then offered her hand to help Naruto up. Grinning, he took it, then offered his fist to her. Kairi grinned, and bumped her fist against his. Despite herself, she had enjoyed herself for the first time in a while. 

Suddenly she heard clapping behind them. All four turned to see Kakashi sensei move from behind a tree at the end of the bridge. “That was impressive. Not bad, both of you. Though Naruto, you know better than a direct attack on an opponent with unknown strength,” he chided. Naruto and Sakura, however, had both turned to face their sensei, indignant rage on their faces. “YOU’RE LATE AGAIN, SENSEI!” they screeched, pointing at him in outrage. Kakashi-sensei held up his hands in a placating gesture. “There was an old woman that I had to help carry groceries for and - “ 

“LIES!” Naruto and Sakura screamed, charging their sensei, who attempted to fend off the two. Sasuke sighed, then pushed off the bridge to join his teammates, not before throwing a scowl in Kairi’s direction. Smirking in the realization that she had, in fact, gotten under his skin, Kairi sauntered behind him to the rest of her new team to get their D ranked missions of the day. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kairi rubbed the back of her head, groaning. Tonight’s nightmare had Kairi frozen, unable to move as the man slaughtered people with glowing blue eyes, one after another, and she had once again fallen off the couch in her struggle to awaken. She scowled as she stormed out the door, locking it behind her as she made her way to the clearing from the night before. The day hadn’t been much better, with useless mission after useless mission, with Naruto constantly trying to upstage Sasuke and only failing, miserably. The team dynamic was a wreck - Naruto desperately wanted to outdo Sasuke, most likely for some kind of acknowledgement, but the more he tried, the more he failed. Sakura only cared about trying to flirt with Sasuke, who steadfastly ignored her. And Sasuke...well he was skilled to be sure, but he was cold and refused to work with his teammates. On top of that, there was a fun love triangle going on where Naruto liked Sakura, Sakura liked Sasuke, and Sasuke liked...ok maybe it was a love line? A love segment? Kairi shook her head and sighed. Her new team was...complicated, to say the least. 

She whipped out her knives and began the same warmup from the night before, this time going even faster. There was so much anger, so much RAGE, and this deadly dance was the only thing keeping it at bay. Faster and faster she sliced and weaved through the clearing until sweat poured off her. After what might have been hours, she began to slow, coming back to herself. The rage was still there, but it was now simmering quietly beneath the surface. She began to realize that she once again had an audience. Enough was enough. Continuing to slow, Kairi turned in circles, then flung the knife towards where her observer was perched in the trees opposite her. A faint  _ cling  _ sounded as the opponent blocked the attack with a weapon of their own. 

“Don’t you suppose it’s time to stop lurking and come out?” she drawled, gripping her other knife in preparation of an assault. The tree rustled, and to her surprise, Sasuke jumped down. He tossed her knife back to her. The two stared at one another, sizing each other up. The seconds dragged by. Again, Kairi was the first to break the silence.

“So you’re a stalker too? Not a good look for you, pretty boy,” she said, voice dripping with false sweetness. He rolled his eyes. “I told you, I didn’t trust you. I especially didn’t trust you waltzing around the village in the middle of the night,” he replied in a bored tone. He nodded towards her knife. “You held back in your fight against Naruto today.” 

Kairi smirked. “Can’t show you lot all my tricks. Where would the fun in that be?” To her surprise, Sasuke snorted. “What tricks, poorly freezing knives? Yes, we should all be so scared.”

Kairi flared her nostrils, then stomped away from Sasuke and sat on the ground, back towards him, and placed the knife in front of her. She had just begun to gather moisture around the knife when Sasuke spoke again.

“So what, don’t believe in sleep?”

Kairi blew the air out between her teeth, concentration lost. “No, just don’t like what I see when I sleep,” she replied truthfully. “You?”

“None of your business,” he said, the ghost of a smile on his face. Kairi rolled her eyes and turned back to her knife. She had once again just drawn the moisture to the knife when Sasuke spoke again, so quietly at first she thought she’d imagined it.

“The same for me as well.” 

Kairi didn’t turn around, didn’t acknowledge it. With his background, she had assumed as much. There was rustling behind her, then steady thuds, one after another. She turned around and realized Sasuke had taken out some knives, and was using the trees as targets. Smiling to herself, she turned around and once again began to focus on her knife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the dead mom joke but LOOK. BONDING! KAIRI PLAYING (semi) NICE WITH OTHERS!


	6. Not All Reunions Are Sweet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's about that time I throw an entire wrench into the story, what do you think?

For the third time that day, Sasuke bailed Naruto out of another mess. 

Kairi sighed. It had been like this everyday for the past month - multiple D ranked missions where Naruto tried to outdo Sasuke, only to have it repeatedly blow up in his face. Sasuke would then have to swoop in and save the day, which in turn caused Sakura to applaud him while Kakashi-sensei would merely sighed and apologized for whatever mess Naruto had made. The team also trained together, learning basic survival and chakra control skills that Kairi easily mastered. Outside of ninja duties, Kairi had eaten ramen and trained with Naruto, read books with Sakura, and picked fights with Sasuke.  _ He  _ was still haunting her dreams at night, so she continued training in the small clearing; only now, Sasuke joined her almost every night. They rarely acknowledged one another but still, Kairi had to admit that it was...nice. Nice having someone who understood, even a little bit. 

Naruto spun on Sasuke, the day’s frustration finally snapping his resolve.

"I could take you, right here, right now!"

"You loser, you couldn't take me," Sasuke replied, bored. 

"Alright you two, how about we beat each other to a bloody pulp another day," Kakashi said, frowning. His attention was then caught by a hawk circling the sky. “Well, that’s my cue. Behave you four,” he said, then promptly disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Sasuke snorted and walked away. Sakura began following him, insisting that they should hang out without Naruto, to which Sasuke merely responded with a simple, “you’re annoying. Get lost.” 

Sakura walked back to Kairi and Naruto, looking crestfallen. For some reason, she liked Uchiha. Sure, even Kairi had to admit he was good looking, but he was also taciturn, cold, and an all around grade A jerk. 

All of a sudden, Kairi noticed a strange looking box on the road sneaking up behind Naruto. Naruto, oblivious, began trying to comfort Sakura, who brushed him off. The box kept approaching Naruto. Kairi narrowed her eyes and raised her eyebrows, watching the box inch closer and closer. Finally Naruto noticed the box. 

“That has to be the worst disguise of all time, Konohamaru!” Naruto exclaimed, pointing at the box. Kairi turned towards Sakura, whose own bewildered look mirrored her own. 

“You foiled us again, boss! That’s why you’re my rival” The box suddenly transformed into three kids. One extremely complicated introduction later, and Kairi had seen enough.

“Yeah, I think that’s my cue,” she said, saluting Naruto and Sakura before disappearing into the trees above. She was about to turn away, but the show below was fairly entertaining. The lead kid, Konohamaru, was a riot. Kairi stretched in the tree and pulled out an apple, settling in to watch.

Kairi woke up to the sound of a scream.

She whipped her head around and then looked down. One of the kids must have pissed off a menacing-looking guy in a black hood whose back was facing her. The guy was now holding the kid, Konohamaru, by the throat, and murmuring something to him. A blonde girl stood next to him, reprimanding the big guy for making a scene. The big guy wasn’t listening, and continued to choke the kid. Enraged, Kairi palmed her knife, ready to attack. A hand grabbed her shoulder. Kairi turned, and to her surprise found Sasuke crouched next to her. 

"Don't worry, I got the big guy. You get the girl," Sasuke muttered, and threw a rock at the guy's hand. He dropped the kid, and then the pair began to turn in the direction of Kairi and Sasuke. Kairi slipped up a branch to hide from view, waiting to make her move. The two finally noticed Sasuke in the tree, and Kairi got a full glimpse of their faces. She nearly fell out of the tree.  _ You have got to be kidding me. What are THEY doing here?  _ Kairi thought, her heart pounding furiously in her chest.

Meanwhile, the boy had begun to scowl up at Sasuke, though the girl merely frowned at her companion. Naruto and Sakura had finally shaken out of their stupor as the kid had rejoined the group. 

“You should really pick on someone your own size,” Sasuke drawled in his familiar bored tone. The boy grinned, and began reaching for the bandaged item on his back.  _ It’s now or never, I’ve got to stop this,  _ Kairi thought as she flung her knife, which sliced the boys hand before it buried itself in the tree on the opposite end of the path. 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Kairi said sweetly, who had appeared behind the blonde, knife to her throat, just as the girl had started to reach for the item on her back. The blonde and the guy looked over at Kairi, shocked. Sasuke smirked, and hopped out of the tree. “I wouldn’t try anything; she’s a bit knife-happy.” Kairi gave the pair her best deranged smile. The pair smirked back. Regardless of Sasuke’s warning, this was going to get ugly. Kairi looked over at Sasuke, who nodded at her. She was just bracing herself when a cold, dead voice rang across the path.   
  
"Konkuro, cut it out." The two enemy ninja froze, fear clouding their eyes. The rest of the group turned to the sound of the voice to see who it was, but Kairi knew who it was already. Her heart sank - now the real test would begin.

Grudgingly, Kairi turned in the direction the others were facing to see a red haired boy around her age hanging from a tree branch upside down. He was pale, with a strange tattoo on his forehead partially covered by spiky red hair, with a gourd, of all things, attached to his back. That wasn’t what had caused the silence in the clearing, however. It was his eyes. They were cold and expressionless, shards of ice holding the promise of violence. The boy disappeared in a cloud of sand, appearing next to Kairi and the other two shinobi. He turned toward Kairi, holding her knife hilt out. She grabbed it, but the boy hung on for a moment. Kairi’s heart stopped, and for a moment the boy and her held onto the knife, staring at each other. Finally, the boy let go of the knife and turned toward his companions.

“Stop causing such a scene. Let’s go,” he said, the same cold voice as before. The color had drained out of their faces, who apologized to the boy profusely.    


The three started walking away when Sasuke, the idiot, opened his mouth.

“You - the one with the gourd. Who are you?” 

The three turned. The blonde and the big guy were smirking again. The redhead maintained the same dead expression as before. 

"I’m Gaara of the Desert. I’m interested in you as well,” he replied. 

“Sasuke Uchiha,” Sasuke replied, smirking. Well, someone was certainly proud of themselves.

“And I’m sure you’re interested in me!” Naruto interjected, pushing his way in front of Sasuke. Despite the situation, Kairi found herself chuckling. Naruto sure knew how to defuse a situation.

“Not really,” Gaara replied, causing Naruto’s face to fall. To her horror, Gaara instead turned his attention to Kairi. “I am, however, interested in you.” 

Kairi cleared her throat.  _ Showtime. _

"Kairi Mizushima of the Mist," she replied, giving him what she hoped was an award winning smile.

Gaara nodded, the same blank, cold expression in his eyes. Nothing had changed in his eyes when she had spoken; there had been no glimmer of recognition. The three turned around to leave once more, and Kairi found herself relaxing. Right at the end of the path, Gaara stopped, his companions pausing to look at him. 

Without turning, Gaara said, "I knew you couldn't have been killed that easily, Lanara. "

Kairi stiffened. There was time to regroup. She could salvage this still. “Sorry...Gaara was it? You must have me confused with someone else,” she replied, feigning casualty. Gaara was now staring directly at her. The boy and girl with him looked shell-shocked. Timidly, the girl spoke up. “Gaara, that can’t be Lanara. It’s impossible. You know that…” she said softly, trailing off, regret coloring her face. The boy grimaced and nodded. “No way that’s her. Plus, she looks nothing like short stack. What’s with you, Gaara?”

Kairi closed her eyes and grinned, throwing her arms behind her head, maintaining her calm facade. It was her only hope to get out of this situation. “Seriously, man. You’ve got me mixed up with someone else. Sorry about that.” 

Gaara shook his head.“There’s only one person I’ve met who’s that fast and skilled with a knife. Plus, that knife...delicate hilt covered in etchings of flames and waves. Sound familiar?” Kairi’s eyes shot open, though she forced her body and face to stay relaxed. The damage had been done, though. The girl gasped, whipping her head in Kairi’s direction, the boy raising his eyebrows at her, recognition in his face. Dammit. She knew she should’ve hidden her knives. Kairi grimaced. The gig was finally up.   
  


\-------------------------------------------SURPRISE: Sasuke POV---------------------------------------------------------------------

Sasuke couldn’t believe what he was seeing. One minute, Kairi was relaxed, reassuring the boy that he was mistaken. The second the boy started talking about her knives, however, the entire dynamic between the four shifted. Kairi had stiffened, and Gaara’s companions had gone slack in shock. Finally, Kairi let out a dark chuckle. Her body language shifted; she dropped her arms so that they hung loosely at her sides, and shifted her body so that neither group was to her back. The change was subtle, but Kairi had exchanged her relaxed stance for a wary defensive position, as if she couldn’t tell whether an attack would come from the newcomers or her own team. 

“Thanks, Gaara. I was really starting to like it here too,” Kairi replied. Sasuke’s eyes narrowed. It wasn’t just her body language that had changed - Kairi had dropped the entire easygoing facade altogether. In its place was something colder, harder. A predator. He’d seen glimpses of this side of her before, like the day she had tried to goad him into a fight and in some of the nighttime trainings he’d attended with her. There was also the completely changed dynamic with the strangers. She seemed...familiar with the group. As if she could feel his eyes on her, she turned towards him, and smiled ruefully. Suddenly, her body froze, and Kairi turned into an actual ice sculpture. Then the sculpture started to morph, shrinking and thinning out, hair changing out of a ponytail and into a braid that fell down to her waist. Sakura gasped, as Naruto yelled, “What the heck is happening?” The ice sculpture that had been Kairi finally finished moving. The ice slowly melted away, revealing a new face. 

This girl was paler than Kairi had been, with long, thick black hair tied in a messy braid that fell over her left shoulder down to her waist. She was petite and painfully thin, as delicate as a porcelain doll. It was her eyes though that stopped Sasuke cold. A haunting, almost translucent pair of lilac eyes stared back at him. Unlike Kairi’s eyes, which had usually been full of humor and mischief, the new girl’s eyes were cold and blank. He swore they flashed briefly with regret before she turned her attention back to the three strangers. The red head, Gaara, hadn’t reacted to Kairi’s change at all, but the other two looked about ready to pass out.   
  
"Lanara...you're...alive?" the blonde girl choked out. Kairi - no, Lanara, smiled softly. 

“Last time I checked,” she cracked weakly. The blonde girl continued to stare open mouthed at her. The other boy gathered his surprise and smirked at Kairi/Lanara. "Well, we can have a happy reunion later. Looks like you've got some explaining to do," he said, nodding his head towards Sasuke. 

Kairi/Lanara winced. She and the foreign shinobi might have said something else, but the blood had begun roaring in Sasuke’s ears so loudly that he didn’t notice. Against his better judgement, he had begun to trust her, to think of her as a teammate, maybe even a friend. But now he knew the truth. She had always been the enemy. He had never known her. 

Finally, the foreign ninja move to leave. When they turned around the corner, Kairi/Lanara turned to face Sasuke and winced. He must not be doing a very good job of hiding his emotions, but he was past caring. She grinned and started rubbing the back of her head, awkwardly. “So guys, funny story…”

That’s when Sasuke lost all control. He charged at Kairi/Lanara, grabbed her neck, and shoved her against the wall so hard the wall cracked in half and indented around her body. Vaguely, he registered warm liquid trickling onto his hand. She winced, and he realized the warm liquid must have been blood from where she had hit her head. He barely even registered Naruto and Sakura coming up behind him, with Naruto asking him to chill out. He was past the point of caring. He shoved his face into hers, watching her closely. He vaguely realized he’d activated his Sharinghan. Kairi/Lanara raised her eyebrow, intrigued. 

"I knew we shouldn't trust you! Give me one good reason I shouldn’t kill you right now," he growled.

"Go ahead,” she spat, much to his surprise. “Actually, you’ll have to get in line - the list of people trying to kill me is fairly long these days,” she said, glaring at him with those strange, piercing eyes. “I lied for your own protection.”

Sasuke snarled at her. “What a convenient excuse. So what is it? Are you a spy for the village that those three are in? I bet everything you told us was a lie, and you’ve been secretly plotting against us the whole time.”

Her eyes narrowed. “What I said in the Hokage’s office was true - the Mist wants me dead for my kekkei genkai, and knowing who I am, who I REALLY am, would’ve put all of you in danger. I’ve spent my whole life hiding. I’m alone in this world,” she trailed off bitterly.

“I bet the reason you’re alone has nothing to do with your kekkei genkai. Ever think it’s just you,” Sasuke replied, snidely. 

This hit a nerve. Kairi/Lanara’s eyes flashed, and Sasuke found himself immobilized, unable to move. Suddenly, Sasuke found that he could no longer grip her neck. It had...it had turned to  _ water _ . She slid right out of his grip, grabbed the back of his throat, and slammed him against the wall. He squirmed, but she had pinned his right arm behind his back with her body, and she was gripping his left arm against the wall. He was shocked. Despite her small frame, she was strong, and he couldn’t move. 

“Don’t you  _ ever  _ presume to know anything about me. You could never understand, not after the sheltered little life you’ve had here. You know  _ nothing,”  _ she hissed into his ear. The rage that he had seen glimmers of before was now practically pulsing off her. 

This jerked Sakura and Naruto out of their daze. Sakura grabbed Kairi/Lanara’s shoulder and began pleading with her, while Naruto yelled at her in confusion. Kairi/Lanara ignored them, and pressed Sasuke harder into the wall. 

Suddenly, her weight was pushed off his body. Slowly, Sasuke turned around to see Kakashi-sensei gripping the back of Kairi/Lanara’s shirt, her face still twisted with rage.

“Well, I think that’s just about enough of that,” Kakashi-sensei said, mildly. Kairi/Lanara scowled at him, who in turn simply raised an eyebrow at her. “I think we need another meeting with the Hokage don’t we?” 

At this, all color drained out of her face. She practically went limp with fear. She turned and met Sasuke’s eyes one more time before she and Kakashi-sensei disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Sakura and Naruto rushed up to him, Sakura preening and asking if he was ok. Naruto was suspiciously quiet, looking at the wall with a look mingled with hurt and regret. He had trusted her too. Sasuke sighed, and turned to look at the wall as well. It was odd. Right before her neck had turned to water, Sasuke had felt frozen, unable to move his body. There was one more thing that was bothering him, too.

He could’ve sworn that in that moment her eyes had been bright blue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all weren't getting too comfortable...


	7. Repercussions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's see if Lanara can get herself out of this mess!

Lanara felt like punching herself in the face. Repeatedly.

Of all the sloppy, idiotic things she could’ve done, she had used her knives in front of Gaara, Temari, and Konkuro. Knives that were recognizable to anyone who knew her well enough, and in doing so, had got herself caught. Stupid, stupid, STUPID! This time she was most certainly on a death march to the Hokage, and at this point, she knew well enough that she wouldn’t be escaping Kakashi. She’d finally figured out how she knew him - he was the legendary Copy Ninja of the Leaf, the only ninja outside of the Uchiha Clan to possess the Sharinghan. He was in quite a few bingo books himself. Though, he didn’t act like the walking threat she knew he was. He was often aloof, soft spoken, and spent most of his time reading some stupid book, which he was doing right now. 

As if noticing her attention, he looked over the top of his book at her and cocked an eyebrow. Lanara jumped a little and faced straight ahead, embarrassed. Kakashi let out a faint chuckle and went back to his book. 

“I was worried you were going to break Sasuke’s neck if I didn’t jump in. Good job getting out of that hold, by the way,” he said.

She grimaced, then touched the back of her head and winced. “Yeah well, let’s just say if I’d broken his neck I’d be returning the favor. Plus, he needed to be put in his place,” she replied.

Kakashi nodded. “You might want to get that looked at after you’re done here.” Lanara looked incredulously at him.  _ If you think there’s going to be an “after” this meeting, Kakashi-sensei, you are sadly mistaken.  _

As if he could tell what she was thinking, he shrugged. “You never know, Lanara. You gave me the same look the last time and look what happened.” She frowned. Last time had been different; she’d had a clean slate. This time, she was coming in after lying to the Hokage, and was not some no-named orphan of the Mist.

Sooner than she would’ve liked, they were back at the red doors of the Hokage’s office. Lanara scowled up at the doors. Last time, she was petrified. This time, she was so thoroughly irritated at herself she didn’t have the capacity for fear. When they reached the doors of the office, much to Kakashi’s surprise, she threw open the doors and stormed in. The Hokage was smiling at his desk, eyes twinkling as if he and Lanara were sharing an inside joke. The young man, who Lanara had found out from Naruto was one of the Academy instructors named Iruka, and the man in the sunglasses, Ebisu, a jonin, were present again, both looking from Lanara to Kakashi-sensei in confusion. The room fell into an uncomfortable silence. The seconds ticked by, then the minutes. 

Finally, the Hokage opened his mouth to speak. “So this is your real face, Kairi. Or rather, what should I call you now?” 

Lanara grinned. “It’s Lanara,” she replied, then paused, weighing her options. She decided on going out with a bang. “Lanara Kanaka.”

“Here we go,” Kakashi muttered under his breath, and immediately Ebisu began a long tirade about how he’d known all along she was an enemy and that it had been reckless to let her into the village. Iruka stayed quiet but was frowning thoughtfully throughout the entire tirade. Finally, the Hokage cleared his throat. “If that’s all you have to say around my decision making, Ebisu, then I thank you for your input. Now, you, Iruka, and Kakashi can all take your leave. I would like a minute with Lanara here.”

Ebisu turned bright red, and looked like he was about to launch into another tirade when the Hokage once again gave him the same hard look from before. Ebisu clicked his mouth shut and stormed out of the room. Still frowning, Iruka followed him. Kakashi shut his book, and gave Lanara a long look. He then turned his gaze to the Hokage. He looked on the verge of saying something, then shook his head and followed the two out of the room. It was just Lanara and the Hokage left. 

The Hokage motioned to the chair to his right that Iruka had vacated. “Why don’t you sit down, Lanara. I have a feeling this is quite a long story.” Lanara smiled sadly.  _ You have no idea, old man.  _ Lanara opened her mouth and began to speak.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So that’s why I was charging through the forest, and why they were so intent on catching me. And then, well you know the rest,” Lanara finished lamely. 

She had told the Hokage everything. Even the parts she herself wished she could forget. She hadn’t meant to tell him the entire story, but once she had started talking, the story had poured out of her like a faucet. To his credit, the Hokage hadn’t interrupted once. He’d listened silently, letting her unload the last 13 years on him. 

The Hokage nodded silently, hands clasped together. It seemed like he was weighing his options, deciding. Lanara jiggled her left leg impatiently, but she knew better than to interrupt. Her fate was hinged on the whims of the old man to her right. Finally, the Hokage unclasped his hands and reached into the drawer of his desk. He pulled out a Leaf headband set on black cloth. It had a worn, almost ragged appearance. He placed it slowly on the desk between them.

“Well, it seems we are at a crossroads, then. What you choose to do next is your choice. You can leave this village immediately, and continue the path you have set yourself on. Seek revenge for the ghosts of your past. Or, you can pick up this headband and start again. Your past life will be just that, the past. You will be a genin of the leaf, a vital member of the community. The only price I ask is that you promise to protect the people of this village, even with your very life. I believe you have a will of fire that can burn bright, brighter than maybe anyone in the Leaf. But you must be the one to choose to ignite it. The choice is yours.”

Lanara stared blankly at the Hokage. After all of that...he was offering her a place in the village? A chance at a clean slate? She began to reach her hand out, then stopped. To abandon her path, to walk away from revenge...was it worth it? Was it worth abandoning the promises she had made? Lanara stared at the headband. A jolt shot through her as she remembered a voice from long ago, and the last request  _ he  _ had made of her.  _ “Promise me you’ll step out of the shadows and live in the light. Promise me that you’ll show the world what you can do.”  _ Her eyes glimmered. In her grief and her anger she had ignored his last wishes, instead moving further into the shadows. She had stayed hidden, biding her time, plotting her revenge. Staring at the headband, she realized that maybe, just maybe, there was another way. She had to stop herself from drowning in the sea of rage she’d spent years trapped in. The only way to do that was to accept the hand held out to her in the form of a headband.

Lanara looked up at the Hokage and smiled.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She wasn’t dead. This day just couldn’t get any weirder. 

Lanara tugged at the headband on her forehead as she wandered through the village. The Hokage had given her his own headband, a token of goodwill, he had called it. He had then dismissed her, but not before he got her to promise to go to the hospital and get her injured head checked out. She had to admit - the old man didn’t miss a thing. She had begrudgingly agreed, and had headed directly to the hospital. They’d patched up the back of her head where she had slammed into the wall, but when they tried to admit her to monitor for a concussion, she had slipped out. She had promised the Hokage she would get her head looked at. She hadn’t promised she would stay.

Lanara sighed. She might not be dead, but things were still a mess. She was sure Naruto and Sakura had to be upset with her, and Sasuke...well Sasuke had looked ready to murder her. It didn’t help that she’d lost her temper and attacked him, which hadn’t gained her any goodwill. On top of that, the Sand Siblings were in the Leaf for some inexplicable reason, and with how she’d left the Sand, she had no idea how she stood with them. Well, there was no use moping about it. Time to start the apology rounds.

Lanara wandered through the village until she found where she was looking for. She pushed back the flaps at Ichiraku to find Naruto dejectedly playing with his ramen. She slid quietly into the seat next to him. He nodded his head in a vague form of greeting, then froze when he realized who had sat down next to him. She waved awkwardly at him in response.

“Hi, Naruto,” she said quietly. He turned glumly back to his food. “Hey Kairi, or whatever your name is now,” he replied, uncharacteristically sadly. She sighed. She had chosen to find Naruto first because she had thought he’d be the easiest to win over but...this was going to be harder than she’d thought. She smiled softly at him. 

“I’m sorry that I lied, Naruto. Truly. But I meant what I said that knowing the truth would’ve only put you in danger,” she told him quietly. He continued stirring his noodles, but he’d turned his head slightly towards her. Encouraged, she continued, “If it means anything at all, lying to you was the hardest.” It was true. From the first day they’d met, she had felt a certain kinship towards Naruto that she couldn't explain. It wasn’t just that he knew the same kind of loneliness that she did. It was how he approached that loneliness with a smile on his face, with a level of optimism unmatched by anyone she’d ever met. It was annoying sometimes, but Lanara couldn’t deny that Naruto had a light that she’d never seen in anyone else, a light she hoped that one day she could emulate, or at the very least, protect. 

Naruto’s mouth twitched into a smile. “I’m not really good at grudges, honestly. Thanks for the apology Kair-er...what was your name again,” he asked sheepishly.

She grinned, then held out her hand. “The name is Lanara Kanaka. It’s great to officially meet you.” 

He grinned, and took her hand in his and shook it firmly. “Great to meet you too, Lanara.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lanara yelped as she landed firmly on the ground. Despite her coming clean to the Hokage and Naruto, it seemed like her conscience wasn’t ready to stop torturing her just yet _.  _ She sighed and grabbed her equipment bag, then headed out to her normal clearing. She had just palmed her knives when she felt someone watching her. Without pausing, she flung her knife in the direction of the bushes to her left. A second later, the knife came flying back at her, pointed directly at her head. Lanara tilted her head back and calmly caught the knife by the hilt. She turned her head to the left just in time to see Sasuke stroll out of the bushes, glaring at her. She grinned maliciously at him.

“Didn’t think I’d see you here tonight,” she drawled, spinning her knife. “By the way, thanks for smashing my head against the wall. I get anxious when I have to go a full month without going to the hospital.”

Sasuke glared harder. “Don’t even start. Today just proves that we never should have trusted you. I don’t even know why you’re still even here.”

Lanara grinned and grabbed her headband, wriggling her eyebrows at him. “Sorry Sasuke, but you’re officially stuck with me. Unlike you, the Hokage chose to believe my, what was the phrase you used, SOB STORY. He’s decided to give me a chance.”

Sasuke snorted and walked past her. “You might have a headband, but you’ll never belong here. You might as well just cut your losses and leave now.” He was almost out of the clearing when he paused. “ I’m sure Naruto and Sakura will forgive you, if they haven’t already, but I won’t. I never will. Word of advice - just give up whatever game you’re playing and leave. Don’t make me ask you twice. Consider this your only warning.” Lanara gritted her teeth but kept her mouth shut as he walked out of the clearing. She watched him until she couldn’t see his retreating figure anymore, until it was just her standing alone in the darkness. She might have been given a Leaf headband, but she was certainly not yet a Leaf ninja. Not even close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANDDDDD back to square one with Sasuke. Sorry!


	8. Prepare Yourselves! The Chunin Exams are Here!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really delivering on the "enemiers" part of enemies to friends to lovers

“He’s late, again!” Naruto grumbled.

Lanara sighed. They’d been waiting at the bridge for Kakashi for what felt like hours. He was always late, but this had to have been a new record. She glanced over from her perch on the bridge’s rail to look at her team. Naruto was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the road with his arms crossed, pouting. Sakura was leaning across the bridge, glancing over at Sasuke every few minutes. Sasuke had been right about Naruto and Sakura being rather forgiving. This morning, Naruto had treated her exactly the same (with the exception of still calling her Kairi most of the time). When Sakura had arrived, Lanara had made another frozen cherry blossom, and asked for her forgiveness. Sakura had smiled slightly and had accepted it. Lanara hadn’t been fooled - Sakura would follow Sasuke’s lead, but still, it was nice to avoid open animosity. 

And speaking of open animosity...Lanara turned her gaze towards Sasuke. He had been alternating between ignoring Lanara or skewering her with glares anytime she spoke or so much as breathed too loudly. As tempting as goading him was, Lanara had so far resisted the urge and had spent the morning chatting with Naruto instead. For once, she wasn’t in the mood for a fight, at least not until she figured out why the Sand Siblings were in town. Between her meeting with the Hokage and dinner with Naruto, she hadn’t been able to track the three of them down the night before. She was concerned; any sort of event to bring the Sand here didn’t mean anything good for her.

Distantly she registered Naruto and Sakura yelling and realized Kakashi must have arrived. She looked up and paused. Usually Kakashi took the beratement rather sheepishly; today, however, he was looking at them all with an eerie level of seriousness. Lanara frowned as she hopped off the rail and walked over to where they were standing; Kakashi serious couldn’t mean anything good. Naruto and Sakura seemed to realize their sensei’s odd behavior and paused their inquisition as well. 

“I’m glad you are all here.” He paused as he looked at Lanara for emphasis, as if to say  _ I told you so _ . She rolled her eyes at him, and raised her eyebrows expectantly. He cleared his throat and continued. “In one week’s time, the Chunin Exams will begin. And, I’ve nominated you four to partake in the exams,” he said, producing 4 forms out of his utility vest. Lanara’s eyes widened.  _ The Chunin Exams!  _ That must be why the Sand Siblings were in town. With any luck, they were the only Sand genin in town, though with her luck she was less than optimistic that this was the case.

Naruto cocked his head to the side. “What’s the Chunin Exams?”

Kakashi sighed, exasperated. “The Chunin Exam is a series of tests, Naruto. If you pass these tests, then you get promoted to Chunin.” Naruto’s eyes went wide. “Whoa, I could be a Chunin?? Like Iruka-sensei! That would be awesome - can we start now?”

Kakashi-sensei sighed again, but this time his face turned serious. “The exams are grueling. They will test you mentally and physically. You’ll be competing with other genin from other hidden villages, and some of these genin have been training for years.” Naruto grinned. “Well they haven’t met me yet! I’ll take them all on!” Lanara grinned and gave him a fist bump. Sasuke glared at them, then turned towards Kakashi. “You said you recommended all FOUR of us?” he asked, turning back to glare again at Lanara. 

Her face hardened as she opened her mouth to respond, but Kakashi beat her to it. “Yes. The Chunin Exams are completed in teams. Considering this team has four people, I recommended all four of you.” Lanara grinned at Kakashi. Even if Sasuke was less than enthused about her staying, at least her sensei seemed to have some faith in her.

Sasuke opened his mouth to respond, but Kakashi interrupted him once again. “You have one week to decide whether you would like to compete in the Chunin Exams. If you do decide to compete, meet outside room 312 at the Academy with these forms completed at 1 pm sharp. Until then…” Kakashi saluted the four of them, then promptly disappeared in a cloud of smoke. 

Naruto grinned. “I don’t know why we need to wait for a whole week; I’m ready to start now!” Lanara grinned at him, then noticed out of the corner of her eye Sakura staring intently at the form. Lanara frowned. If she had to guess, Sakura was most likely questioning if she was ready for this. Naruto and Sasuke wouldn’t have any hold ups about competing in the exams, but Lanara knew that Sakura was less confident in her own abilities. Lanara walked over to her and elbowed her lightly. “I’m meeting old friends over at the dumpling shop. It’s by your house, right? Why don’t we walk together.” Sakura smiled at her and nodded. Lanara waved at Naruto and stuck her tongue out at Sasuke, then began walking in the direction of the shop with Sakura.

Sakura remained uncharacteristically quiet, staring at the form as they walked. Lanara smiled softly. “You’re worried you aren’t ready, right?” Sakura looked up, startled, then sighed. “You know sometimes that bluntness of yours is pretty hard to deal with,” she replied, exasperated. 

Lanara grinned in response, and continued. “Look, I get why you’re nervous. But it’s a team event, right? You three work great together. Well, when Naruto and Sasuke aren’t attempting to beat each other to a pulp I guess...but I know they’ll have each others’ backs when it matters. And neither of them will let anything happen to you. Neither will I.” 

Sakura smiled at her gratefully. “I appreciate it Lanara, but I can’t just rely on you three. I need to think about it more. I need to make sure that  _ I  _ am ready. Still, thanks. I really mean it.” 

Lanara smiled in response, and the two slipped into a comfortable silence. Before long they were in front of the dumpling shop. Lanara waved Sakura goodbye, then headed inside. She quickly spotted Temari and Konkuro sipping tea at a table in the back. Lanara waved and headed over, plopping down next to Temari, who smiled at her and shook her head. 

“I still can’t believe it’s you, Lanara,” she said in disbelief. Konkuro grinned at her. “I don’t know, Lanara’s like a bad cold, you can never quite shake her.” Lanara stuck her tongue out at him and grinned. “It’s good to see you guys.” Her smile faded. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.” Temari smiled sympathetically and patted her shoulder. Even Konkuro looked unusually sympathetic. Lanara cleared her throat. “Also you don’t have to worry. The Hokage will be sending a letter to the Kazekage. I don’t want you two to have to lie on my behalf.” 

The two frowned at her. “But Lanara, with everything that happened…” Temari trailed off awkwardly. Konkuro cleared his throat. “Look, I don’t know if a letter is going to cut it, Lanara. Does the Hokage even know what happened?” Konkuro finished bluntly. 

“I told him everything. The Hokage knows the entire story. More than you two, as a matter of fact,” Lanara shot back darkly, touching the ribbon on her neck absentmindedly. To their credit, the siblings both looked sheepish. Lanara nodded her head to the chair next to Konkuro. “Gaara didn’t feel like socializing, then?” she asked, changing the subject. 

This time, it was Konkuro’s face that darkened. “He’s gotten worse, if you can believe it,” he said bitterly. Lanara’s eyes widened. “WORSE? I didn’t think that was possible,” she replied in disbelief. Temari nodded sadly. “We don’t know what to do anymore. We just never know how he’s going to react, and he’s downright impossible to control,” she said softly. Lanara frowned and patted her hand sympathetically. She knew the strained relationship with Gaara was hardest on Temari, the oldest of the three. She was always the peacemaker between her brothers, making the strained relationship with Gaara the hardest on her.

“Are you sure the Chunin Exams is the best environment for Gaara to be in? Our sensei said the test is pretty intense,” Lanara asked. Temari frowned, but Konkuro simply shrugged. “Who knows? We were told we’d be competing, so we came.” This time, it was their turn to change the subject. “ _ Our  _ sensei then? You’re a good little leaf shinobi now?” Konkuro asked mockingly, nodding at Lanara’s headband. She grinned and grabbed the headband. “Well, this can’t go any worse than the first time I was a genin, right?” she said, grinning. Konkuro snorted while Temari sighed. “Well if those three idiots we met are your teammates, then I don’t have a ton of faith. Well, that one kid who hates you didn’t seem too bad, but those other two...you were probably better off on your own,” he replied.

Lanara grinned. “Oh, I don’t know. Sakura is sharper than she lets on and Naruto...well I wouldn’t be the one to underestimate him,” she replied. Konkuro raised his eyebrows. “Well, he must have something going for him if you approve,” Temari said kindly, shooting her brother a look. 

The three of them continued chatting for nearly two hours, until Temari finally decided it was time to call it an early night. The three of them wandered out of the dumpling shop, and Lanara waved goodbye before heading home. As she walked back to Naruto’s apartment, her head swirled with the conversation with Temari and Konkuro. Before they had parted, Temari had made her promise that she wouldn’t go looking for Gaara, especially without them there. However, if her team would be competing against Gaara and his siblings during this test, Lanara had to know what she was dealing with. She would just have to see for herself if Gaara’s siblings were right.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lanara raced along the rooftops. She had no idea where the Sand Siblings were staying, so she’d just been vaguely wandering the village for over an hour. She wasn’t even sure Gaara would stay in the village at night, or if she even  _ wanted _ to find him.

Finally, she spotted a figure sitting on a rooftop a few buildings away. She squared her shoulders and raced over to the building. When she reached the edge of the roof, she stopped, waiting for Gaara to acknowledge her. For a few minutes, neither of them spoke. Finally, without looking at her, Gaara opened his mouth. “Go away, Lanara.”

She grinned at him. “C’mon, Gaara, I haven’t seen you in almost two years AND you ratted me out yesterday. The least you could do is say hello,” she said, cocking her hip. No one in their class, not even Gaara’s own siblings, had ever understood why she had always needled Gaara. Konkuro had always joked that it was because she was missing a few screws, but there was another reason, one Lanara herself couldn’t even verbalize.

Gaara continued to stare straight ahead. “Leave me alone, or I will kill you,” he said coldly. Granted, by consistently needling him, he also threatened to kill her more than anyone else. Maybe Konkuro was right. Maybe she was just insane. 

Instead of leaving, however, she simply grinned at him. “I see you at least haven’t changed. C’mon, let’s go a few rounds, get some of that anger out.”

Gaara finally turned to stare at her. A chill went down Lanara’s spine as she stared into his eyes. The only emotion she could see was bloodlust. Like he had an insatiable need to kill. All of a sudden, sand shot out towards her, wrapping around her throat and raising her off the ground. 

“I said, leave me alone, or I will kill you.” The sand wrapped tighter around her neck. She grabbed at it, focusing her chakra at the moisture surrounding her. It was now or never. With one hand, she formed a handsign, then shot her chakra into the sand. The loop around her neck froze, then shattered, dropping Lanara to the rooftop. Coughing, Lanara struggled to catch her breath, then looked up to meet his gaze. His expression hadn’t changed. If anything, he looked...hungrier. Like attacking her had only wetted his taste for blood. She stood up and glared at him.

“You can’t keep going like this, Gaara. You can’t just push everyone away. I understand that what happened all those years ago was traumatic, but that’s no excuse. Everyone needs friends to survive. But if you continue like this, then you’ll truly always be alone,” she said. She then turned and dashed back to Naruto’s. It seemed like Temari and Konkuro had been right after all. She was going to have to be even more careful during this test, and watch her teammates closely.

Otherwise they would all end up dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a bit fluffy but wanted to lay some ground work with the Sand Sibs before the Chunin Exams got rolling! Also I felt like Sakura wasn't getting enough screen time


	9. The Rookie Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TIME TO MEET THE OTHER ROOKIES!! How do we think our girl's gonna do??

Lanara and Naruto raced through the streets towards the Academy. It had been a week since Lanara had met Gaara on the rooftops, which made today the first day of the Chunin Exams. She’d spent the week training almost nonstop with Naruto. She’d seen Sakura a few times, who had decided to enter the Chunin Exams after all. She hadn’t seen Sasuke since the bridge, as he hadn’t shown up in the clearing any of the nights Lanara had been there. Considering how sore her head had been for the week after her identity had been revealed, she was just fine with that. Finally, the two of them reached the front doors of the Academy, where Sakura and Sasuke stood waiting for them. Sakura spotted them first and glared. 

“What part of ‘the test starts at 1 pm sharp’ do you two not understand?” she exclaimed. Lanara and Naruto sheepishly grinned at their teammates. “We...got a little caught up with training,” Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head as the four of them entered the building. Sakura groaned and berated the two of them all the way to Room 312, where a suspiciously large crowd had formed. 

Apparently, two other genin were blocking the door and not letting the crowd inside for the first exam. Lanara frowned and looked up at the sign, then doubled back. This wasn’t even room 312. Someone had cast a genjutsu to make it look like the right room, but this room was actually room 212. She peered over at her teammates. Naruto was yelling angrily at the guys blocking the door, but Sakura had the same confused look on her face. Sasuke nodded at them. “This is a test, isn’t it? This isn’t even 312, you’re just using a genjutsu to confuse everyone here,” he shouted at the guys blocking the doors. Sakura nodded. “Besides, we only walked up two flights of stairs, meaning we’re only on floor 2, not 3.” 

The guys grinned, as the genjutsu faded. Everyone turned around in shock to stare at Lanara’s team. Sasuke shrugged and turned around, heading back towards the stairs. They’d only made it a few steps when they were stopped by a team of three other leaf genin. One of them, a goofy looking kid in a green jumpsuit with the bushiest eyebrows Lanara had ever seen, stuck out a thumbs up and winked at Sakura.

“Hello there! I am Rock Lee, and I wanted to know...will you be my girlfriend!” he shouted, giving her a winning smile. Lanara fought off giggles at Sakura’s look of abject horror.

“With you ...GROSS!” she shouted. Lanara doubled over, still trying to hold in her laughter and failing miserably. The kid sank to the ground in defeat, while the boy’s teammates shook their heads in embarrassment. The other boy on the team sighed, then gave Sasuke a piercing look. 

“We’re genin who graduated last year. You must be some of the rookie genin. Spotting that genjutsu was impressive, especially for new genin. My name is Neji Hyuga. Who are you?” the boy asked haughtily. 

Lanara cocked an eyebrow. She’d heard of the Hyugas of the Leaf. The Byakugan and gentle fist style were supposed to be quite a challenge to beat. Meanwhile, Naruto had pushed his way in front of Sasuke before he could answer, grinning. 

“I bet you’re dying to know who I am!” he shouted, pointing to himself. Neji cocked an eyebrow at him. “Couldn’t care less, actually,” he replied, causing Naruto to sink to the floor beside Rock Lee. Neji turned back to Sasuke expectantly, who had watched the entire exchange with a bored expression.   
  
“None of your business,” Sasuke replied, then pushed his way through the group. Neji looked taken aback at Sasuke’s rudeness, shaking his head in disbelief. Sakura shot him a superior look and followed, while Lanara merely shrugged and grabbed the back of Naruto’s jacket and began dragging him towards her other teammates. As she passed Lee, she patted him on the shoulder. “Sorry Rock Lee. Better luck next time, pal.” She felt kind of bad for the goofy looking weirdo. 

It took Naruto all the way to the stairs to recover. Lanara threw an arm around him when he finally stood up, a dejected look on his face. “Aw c’mon Naruto, don’t let that jerk get to you! I would want to know your name,” she said, comfortingly. 

Lanara continued consoling a dejected Naruto until they reached a training gym, where the three stopped to fondly regard the room. All of a sudden, they were interrupted by none other than Rock Lee. He pointed at Sasuke, fire in his eyes. 

“You! I would like to fight, if that is alright,” he said, confidently. He then turned to Sakura, and began blowing her kisses. To her credit, she dodged every single one. 

Sasuke turned to Rock Lee, a mildly interested expression on his face. “And why would I want to fight you?”

“I would like to prove something. You are not the one I really want to fight, but if I beat you, I am one step closer to beating him!” he replied confidently. 

Once again, Naruto pushed Sasuke out of the way. “You don’t want to fight him! Fight me instead, you bushy browed weirdo!” he shouted. Rock Lee shook his head.

“No thank you. The only one I would like to fight is him,” he replied, pointing to Sasuke. Once again, Naruto sank to the ground, defeated. Lanara shot him a sideways look and muttered, “You gotta stop doing this to yourself, bud. It’s just getting sad.” 

Sasuke shrugged as Sakura opened her mouth to protest. “We have time. You’re on,” he said, turning towards Lee and activating the Sharingan. Lanara raised an eyebrow. Showoff.

Rock Lee took a defensive position as Sasuke charged toward him. Then he...disappeared. Lanara cocked an eyebrow, then widened her eyes when he reappeared behind Sasuke and knocked him to the ground. This kid was seriously  _ fast.  _ Sasuke then went on the offensive, throwing strike after strike at Rock Lee, but nothing seemed to land. In fact, it looked like Lee was barely expending any effort to dodge Sasuke’s attacks. Lanara was faster than Sasuke, but they’d spared together often enough to know that he wasn’t nearly as slow as Lee was making him appear. Finally, Sasuke jumped in the air, making handsigns for a fire-based jutsu, a smug grin on his face. Sakura cheered, and even Naruto looked faintly relieved. 

Then Rock Lee appeared behind Sasuke. 

The wrappings around Lee’s arms untied, then re-tied themselves around Sasuke. The two went spinning down to the ground as Lee shouted, “Hidden Lotus!” right when the two hit the ground hard. The dust settled, only to reveal Lee standing above Sasuke, who seemed unable to get off the ground. Sakura and Naruto looked shocked, then rushed over to Sasuke to help him. Lanara, however, merely grinned, taking in Rock Lee. This kid had used nothing but taijutsu to beat an Uchiha. It was incredible. 

“ROCK LEE! How dare you use a hidden jutsu in a simple sparring match!” a voice shouted. Lanara, Sakura, and Naruto all turned towards the voice, which was coming from...a large turtle? Rock Lee, however, fell to his knees and bowed. “GUY SENSEI! I’m so sorry! Please forgive me!” he cried. Lanara and Naruto looked at each other in disbelief, eyes twitching. This guy’s sensei was...a giant turtle. The weirder part is that for some reason, this made perfect sense.

The turtle disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and in its place was a man around Kakashi-sensei’s age, wearing the same green jumpsuit as Lee. This man, however, had bushy brows to put Lee to shame. He walked over to his student, and started shouting punishments at Lee, who kept adding to them to the point of ridiculousness, until they both dissolved into a puddle of tears. Eyebrows practically in her hairline, Lanara turned back to Naruto, and the two dissolved into laughter. Gathering herself, Lanara walked over to Lee and his sensei, who both stopped crying as she approached.

“Excuse me, Lee?” she asked, as Lee nodded. She then bowed. “That was super impressive. I trained long enough in taijutsu to know how difficult the level you were performing at is. After the exams, it would be an honor to train with you,” she said. She stood up and grinned at Lee, who smiled back. 

“It would be great to train with you as well! What was your name?” he asked. Lanara grinned. “My name is Lanara Kanaka. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” The sensei raised his enormous eyebrows. “Lanara Kanaka, huh? You must be Kakashi’s newest student. I would be interested indeed in having you and my Lee here spar. It’s been quite a while since I saw a Kanaka in action.” he said, then threw her a thumbs up. She grinned, then waved goodbye and headed back towards her team. 

Finally, the four of them made it to room 312. Lanara couldn’t stop smiling at the thought of the fight she had just seen. Sasuke was always so cocky, especially towards Naruto, who wanted nothing more than his teammate’s approval. It had been almost cathartic to watch someone knock Sasuke around a bit. Especially by someone like Lee. 

To their surprise, Kakashi was waiting for them at the door. He smiled as they approached. “Good, you’re all here. I’m glad you decided to come, Sakura,” he said, nodding at her. Sasuke and Naruto turned to her in surprise, as she blushed at the sudden scrutiny. “It’s a good thing too, as you wouldn’t be eligible to compete had she not come. Apologies, Sakura, but I wanted you to make your own decision without these three pressuring you into it.” Sakura shot Kakashi an appreciative look, as the boys continued to stare at her, bewildered. Kakashi nodded at the four of them. “The waiting room is just beyond these doors. Once you step in this room, the Chunin Exams have begun.” He stepped out of the way, as Sasuke reached for one door, and Sakura the other. They nodded at Lanara and Naruto, then opened the door. Lanara could scarcely believe her eyes at the scene in front of them. 

The room was completely full of genin, with headbands from every different nation. None of them looked very happy that the four of them had arrived, either. Lanara and her teammates walked into the room, looking around nervously. All of a sudden, there was a flash of blonde as a girl jumped onto Sasuke’s back. She pulled the skin below her eye down, then stuck her tongue out at Sakura, who was glaring angrily at the girl. “Sasuke!” the girl squealed. “It’s so good to see you!”

Sakura had gone red in the face. “INO PIG! GET YOUR HANDS OFF SASUKE!” she shouted, pointing angrily at the girl. The girl went red. “Shut your mouth, billboard brow!” The two continued to squabble, as 8 other kids around their age approach. Lanara elbowed Naruto, gesturing to the newcomers. “Who the heck are these guys, anyway?” she whispered, urgently. Naruto turned his head slightly so he could whisper in her ear. “These are all the guys we graduated with. The girl who jumped Sasuke is Ino Yamanaka; she’s got the same annoying thing for Sasuke that Sakura does. And that’s her teammate Choji Akimichi, or rather, Choji Akamunchi, that fatty is always eating something. Guy next to him is Shikamaru Nara, who has to be the laziest guy alive. Oh and that guy approaching is Kiba Inuzuka - total jerk, also always has that damn puppy with him. The guy next to him is Shino Aburame - he’s a total weirdo. Doesn’t really talk much and honestly kind of gives me the creeps. The girl with them is Hinata Hyuga, she’s nice I guess but she’s also really quiet and pretty weird too,” he muttered quickly. 

Lanara’s frown deepened as Naruto’s hasty descriptions continued. The boy with the puppy, Kiba, grinned at them. “Hey Naruto, I heard you got a new teammate. Didn’t realize you got stuck with another girl.” Lanara scowled at him, but his words caught the attention of all nine of the Leaf rookies, who turned to stare at her. Even Sakura and Ino had paused their bickering. Lanara scratched the back of her head, embarrassed. She raised her other hand and waved awkwardly. “Lanara Kanaka, nice to meet you guys,” she said.

Ino glared at Lanara. “She’s pretty, though it’s like she’s never heard of concealer - god look at those circles under her eyes. You don’t like her, do you Sasuke,” she crooned into Sasuke’s ear. Lanara stared at her in disbelief. Thankfully, Sakura began hurling insults at Ino again, which distracted the blonde’s attention back to her. Her teammates walked up to Lanara. One of the boys, Shikamaru, shook his head. “Sorry about that. I promise she’s not always this bad,” he said, resignation in his voice. Lanara snorted. “Seriously, what is it with girls and Uchiha? They have spoken to him right?” she said, disbelief in her voice. Shikamaru and Choji looked at one another, then laughed. “Can’t say this isn’t a relief. You must be the first girl in the village who DOESN’T have a thing for him,” Choji replied. Lanara, however, was watching an interesting scene unfold to her right. Kiba had begun to trash talk Naruto, who had of course been dishing it right back. Lanara, however, was more interested in Kiba’s teammate, Hinata, who was sneaking peeks at Naruto, blushing intensely all the while. 

Lanara raised her eyebrows. “You might not be so right on that count, Choji,” she replied, amused. At least one girl in this village had taste. 

All of a sudden, Lanara felt an arm sling around her shoulders. She quickly palmed a knife, then nearly dropped it in surprise. “KOJI!?” she screeched, grinning at the boy whose arm was around her shoulders. He grinned back at her and winked. She felt another arm sling around her shoulders on her other side, and turned to find Koji’s twin grinning at her. “KAIJI! YOU’RE HERE TOO!” Kaiji gave her an identical grin, blue eyes twinkling. 

“Lanara! What the heck are you doing here! And with a leaf headband too! What the hell!” Kaiji yelled, clapping her on the back. She grinned at him. “My teammates in the Sand were HUGE losers; I needed to come all the way to the leaf to find decent ones,” she retorted. The two gasped, and grabbed their chests in mock horror as if she’d stabbed them in the heart. “God, she’s still just as mean,” Koji moaned. She grinned at them. The twins were just as she remembered, with identical spiky black hair that fell slightly over their headbands, bright blue eyes, and tan skin. The only way Lanara had initially been able to tell them apart was because Koji always wore a green shirt and black headband while Kaiji wore a white headband and white shirt. Lanara looked around, searching for another familiar face. “Is Kanzaki-sensei here, too?” she asked, excitedly. Kanzaki, the twins’ elder brother, had been their sensei while they had trained together. He was also the only adult in the Sand she’d ever trusted. 

The twins grinned. “Yeah, he’s here. Dropped us off about an hour ago after about 50 threats to behave while we’re here. He’s going to be so excited to see you!” Lanara grinned, then realized that they were being watched. The Leaf rookies had paused their discussions to watch the entire exchange, curiosity on their faces. Lanara grabbed each of the twins’ wrists and dragged them over to her new team, ignoring their protests. “Hey guys! These two were my teammates back in the Sand! Koji and Kaiji, these are my new teammates. This is Naruto, Sakura, and...Sasuke,” she said, trailing off once she realized Sasuke was glaring at her angrily. 

The twins greeted Naruto and Sakura enthusiastically, but paused when they reached Sasuke, who was still glaring at Lanara. The twins’ eyes narrowed. “Hey Lanara, there a problem here?” Kaiji asked, jutting his chin at Sasuke. “Yeah, we have no problem taking out the trash if you need us to,” Koji replied, grinning maliciously at Sasuke while cracking his knuckles. Lanara sighed and put her hands on their chests, pushing them away from her team. “Chill out, macho squad. Let’s go over here to chat a bit,” she said, directing the twins to a corner away from the Leaf, who were also moving to a less focal part of the room on behest of a white haired, older looking Leaf shinobi, who’d pointed out that their group had been drawing attention in the worst way.

Lanara turned to the twins. She had so many things she wanted to tell them both, but they were still glaring over at Sasuke. She sighed. “Don’t worry about him. I lied when I first got here; he has a right to be angry with me,” she reassured them, softly. The twins shot Sasuke one more dirty look before they turned back to her. “So, where have you been! It’s been what, 18 months?” Koji asked. Lanara grinned. “Oh you know, I’ve been...around,” she replied, mysteriously, waving her hand nonchalantly. Kaiji rolled his eyes. “Dramatic, much?” he replied, obviously annoyed. The banter continued on for several more minutes, until Lanara looked between the two of them expectantly. “So, since you guys are here....who’s the new teammate?” she asked, then rubbed her head, sheepishly. “Sorry for ditching you guys, by the way.”

To her surprise, the twins shuffled and exchanged an uncomfortable look. “Actually, two of the genin we graduated with got promoted pretty soon after you, er, left, so they moved the teammate who didn’t over to our team,” Koji said, uncomfortably. Lanara looked between the two, eyebrows raised in curiosity. “So, you going to tell me who -” she started.

Out of nowhere, a figure burst between the twins. The figure slammed a brutal punch at Lanara, followed by a kick to the ribs which sent her flying against the wall, knocking the wind out of her. Koji sprinted up to her, while Kaiji held back the attacker. Lanara coughed and clutched her ribs. Distantly, she registered Naruto sprinting up on her right. She looked up into the green eyes of her attacker in what could only be described as dread. Looks wise, she hadn’t changed - she had the same long blonde hair and long, tan limbs, though the murderous glare she was giving Lanara was new. 

“I can’t believe you would ever show your face after what you did!” the girl shouted. With Naruto and Koji’s help, Lanara stood up, not breaking from the girl’s glare.

“Eureka,” she acknowledged, simply. She had hoped to never see Eureka again. Not after what had happened. Maybe that made her a coward.

Eureka stopped struggling, and Kaiji slowly dropped his hold on her, though he remained next to her, still tense. Eureka shook her head, regaining her composure, and gave Lanara a nasty grin.

“Regardless, it's good to see nothing’s changed. You’re still nothing more than a pathetic little street rat,” she snarled. Koji and Kaiji glared at her. “It’s been a long time, Eureka. Drop it,” Koji snarled back at her. Naruto was looking between Eureka and Lanara, obvious confusion on his face. Lanara merely shook her head and put her hand on Koji’s shoulder. “Drop it, guys,” she said. The twins stared at her in disbelief, but she couldn’t meet their eyes. She didn’t want them to see the regret that she knew was shining hers.

\-------------------------------------SASUKE POV----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Leaf rookies stared in shock at the scene unfolding behind them between Lanara and a blonde Sand ninja. Sasuke was the first to recover, and turned back to Kabuto.

“I want to see one more card,” he said, quietly. Sakura, who had been about to head over to check on Lanara, paused and looked back at him, trepidation on her face. Kabuto raised an eyebrow. 

“And who might that be,” he asked, voice brimming with curiosity.

Sasuke’s face hardened. “Lanara Kanaka of the Sand,” he said, voice dripping with undisguised rage. Sakura’s look of unease increased. This also grabbed the attention of the other Leaf rookies, who turned towards Sasuke in surprise. “Your own teammate man? That’s harsh, even for you,” Kiba said, surprised. A few of the others nodded in agreement. 

Kabuto grinned and spun the cards, picking out one from his deck. He lifted an eyebrow in surprise. “Well, well, well, isn’t this interesting?” he said, grinning at Sasuke. Sasuke’s gaze hardened. “What is it,” Sasuke bit out. 

Kabuto continued to grin.  “You see, the thing that's so interesting about your little friend...", he smirked as he slowly put down the card, causing the Leaf rookies to gasp a the bright red mark stamped across it. "Is that according to my information, Lanara Kanaka is already dead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah sorry guys I have no intention of letting y'all ever get comfy.
> 
> What did you think of Eureka and the twins??? I love the twins so much. But why do we think Eureka has such a grudge??? Stay tuned...


	10. The First Exam

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So....over/under on Sasuke just murdering Lanara in broad daylight? Even I'm starting to feel bad for her...
> 
> Also, ANOTHER OC has joined the chat! I know, I went a bit overboard but ce la vie.

Kabuto continued to grin. A few of the Leaf rookies stared blankly at the card, while others were attempting to subtly steal glances at Lanara, who was still in a standoff with the blonde Sand kunoichi. Sasuke, however, could barely contain his own rage. Lanara had continued to deceive them. It was just one thing after another with her. 

“Does it say on those cards how she supposedly died? Or any other information?” he asked. 

Kabuto opened his mouth, but was interrupted by a cold voice. “You really are such a charmer, Sasuke.” He turned to see Lanara, who had walked over to rejoin the group with Naruto. Her face was cold as she turned towards Kabuto and the cards. “I would recommend you put those away before I do something...drastic,” she purred dangerously. Kabuto grinned at her and inclined his head, putting away his cards. “Trust me, I’m at least not foolish enough to pick a fight with a Kanaka,” Kabuto said, deferentially. 

Lanara ignored him and walked up to Sasuke, stopping right in front of him. “I’m warning you, Sasuke,” she murmured into his ear, too quiet for others to hear. “Poke into my business, and I will make you regret it.” Her lilac eyes danced with the promise of violence. His own glare deepened. “Hard not to, when it’s impossible to actually trust you,” he replied just as quietly. 

The two continued to glare at each other. All of a sudden, Lanara’s eyes darted to the left. She suddenly lunged at Sasuke, but before he could react she had yanked him back so forcefully that they both fell to the ground. Seconds later, Kabuto was thrown against the wall by three Sound ninja. Kabuto stood, preparing to fight back, then yelped and grabbed his ear. Sasuke looked wildly over at Lanara, whose eyes were narrowed thoughtfully at the Sound ninja. He followed her gaze to see the sound ninja drop his sleeve over an odd type of mechanism. He looked back at Lanara, who nodded.  _ So that device caused some sort of damage to Kabuto, despite not touching him.  _

“A small and inconsequential nation you say,” one of the ninjas murmured softly. The other two grinned maliciously at Kabuto. It was easy to tell that the three of them were dangerous, and that a fight with them wouldn’t be pretty. The room had gone completely silent, staring at the faceoff between the two. Sasuke met Lanara’s gaze again, who rewarded him with her best deranged smile as she palmed her knives. He shook his head at her, but palmed a kunai of his own. He was still furious with Lanara, and didn’t trust her as far as he could throw her. Still, he’d seen her in a fight, and he had a feeling they could use all the help they could get right now.

All of a sudden, the doors next to them flew open. A heavily scarred man with a bandage covering his head stood at the front of a pack of upper ranked ninja, all holding clipboards. The man glared over where the Sound ninja and Leaf rookies were huddled. “That’s enough of that now. My name is Ibiki Morano, and it’s time for you to begin the first phase of the Chunin Exams.” 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ibiki’s words had their desired effect. The room went silent, and the genin began trickling into the room behind Ibiki. Lanara re-sheathed her knives and followed her team in warily. As she was moving through the doors, a tall redheaded boy with bright green eyes sidled up next to her. 

“Did I hear your teammate right? Lanara KANAKA,” he asked, excitedly. Lanara cocked an eyebrow at him, then peered at his headband. Village Hidden in the Stone. Cool, so maybe someone who didn’t want to kill her. At least, not yet.

“Yeah. What’s it to you,” she retorted bluntly, pushing her way into the classroom. She’d expected to get some attention when she decided to use her real surname, but she had bigger things to worry about than macabre fanboys. The genin were at each other’s throats, Sasuke hated her, and worst of all, Eureka was here. Lanara couldn’t afford any distractions right now. However, the boy pushed through and followed her eagerly. Lanara steadfastly ignored him as she scanned the room for her name. The boy’s stupid grin was still plastered on his face.

“Oh, no reason! Just rare to see a Kanaka these days, ya know? I’m Tenouchi from the Village Hidden in the Stones. It's so nice to meet you!” he chattered excitedly. Lanara rolled her eyes and continued to ignore him as she slowly moved through the rows. Finally, she found her name in the back of the room and slid into her seat. To her dismay, the redhead slid into the seat next to her, giving her a huge grin.    


“Cool! We’re seat buddies! Now I get to see you in action!” He said, smile still plastered on his face. Lanara groaned and decided to focus on scanning the room for her teammates. Her unwanted new friend, Tenouchi, continued to babble on as she took stock of her surroundings. Several minutes passed, and finally everyone had found their seats. Ibiki moved to the center of the room, a stack of papers in his hands. The dull roar of conversation came to a halt. Even Tenouchi halted his babble.

“The first phase of the exam is rather straightforward. You will have one hour to complete the written exam in my hand. There are ten questions in total, but you will only find nine on this paper. When there are only ten minutes remaining, I will announce the last question. If you are unable to answer a single question, you fail,” he explained. “You’ll notice that there are ninja around the room with clipboards. If they catch you cheating five times, you fail. Oh, and one last thing - if any member of your team fails, the entire team fails.” He grinned maliciously. “Do I make myself clear?”

Lanara grimaced. She’d never been overly fond of tests, or anything related to class in general. With the exception of Kanzaki-sensei, school didn’t exactly hold a lot of happy memories for her. 

The clock ticked closer to 1 pm. At the exact second the second hand hit the 12, Ibiki turned back to the class. “You may begin!”

Tenouchi gave her a thumbs up and turned to his paper. Lanara rolled her eyes and focused on her test. As she read the first question, her stomach sank. She had no idea how to even go about answering it. She took a deep breath. She had 8 other questions; there was no need to get riled up. Reassured, Lanara flipped to the next question, only to groan in frustration. This one was even harder than the first question. Panicked, she flipped through all pages until she got to the end, then set the test back down in front of her slowly. It took a heavy concentration of will to avoid slamming her head repeatedly against the table. The test wasn’t just hard, it was impossible. She looked around. It seemed she wasn’t the only one coming to this realization - her look of panic was mimicked by almost every other student in the room. 

Lanara took a deep breath and closed her eyes. What was the point of giving them such an impossible test? Sure, Chunins needed to be able to formulate strategic plans, but this test was assessing such theories above the level of even Jonin. So why would they…

In a flash, Lanara opened her eyes. She looked at the proctors along the wall. Why would you have so many proctors just to prevent cheating? There had to be at least 50 of them. Which means they EXPECTED the genin to cheat. The key was - could they cheat without getting caught? Lanara grinned. This made more sense - a Chunin had to be able to discreetly gather information without attracting attention. Their lives, and often the lives of their team, depended on it. 

Gathering the information would be easy enough. Belonging to the most notorious clan of the ninja world did have its perks after all. As for her team...Sasuke wouldn’t have a problem with his Sharinghan, but Sakura and Naruto, on the other hand…

Lanara peered over to Sakura and grinned. Sakura was bent over the test and scribbling furiously, plowing through the test as if it was nothing. Lanara knew that girl had a big brain underneath all that useless flirting. Lanara turned her attention to Naruto and her grin fell. Naruto was face down on the desk, hands gripping the back of his head. She could practically feel his doom from across the room. Lanara frowned. She could easily get the right answers using her own powers, but there was an alternative that could help her friend as well…

Lanara closed her eyes and moved one of her hands underneath the desk. Forming a handsign, Lanara focused on the water vapor in the air, slowly concentrating it at the ceiling. She formed three handsigns and muttered under her breath “ice mirror jutsu”. The water that had concentrated on the ceiling froze into a thin sheet of ice, then became more and more opaque until the ceiling was a perfect mirror of the room below. Lanara was able to see the few tests that were completely finished. Ah, so there must be some fake genin with answer sheets scattered throughout the room, she thought. Now, all she had to do was get Naruto to look up…

Lanara concentrated on the spot directly above Naruto, and began to slowly release the jutsu in the concentrated area. Slowly, the ice above Naruto began to melt, slowly dripping water onto Naruto’s hair, test, and desk around him. To Lanara’s dismay, Naruto seemed uninterested in why water was suddenly dripping on him, brushing it off the desk and test in annoyance. “C’mon you idiot, look up!” she muttered under her breath, frustrated. She heard Tenouchi chuckle softly, and rewarded him with a brief glare before turning back to Naruto. Despite her burning urge to melt the entire ice sheet onto Naruto’s head, she couldn’t risk dripping the water any faster. She tried for several more minutes but to no avail - Naruto failed to notice the giant mirror above his head. 

Sighing, Lanara quit melting the ice mirror. Hopefully, Naruto would figure out some way to get the answers on his own. Nonchalantly, she rested her chin on her hand and gazed up at the ceiling, acting as if she was daydreaming to deflect any curious gazes from the proctors. She quickly scanned the room, then finally rested on a boy a few rows in front of her on the left side of the room. He was just about to finish the first page. Grinning, Lanara memorized his answers, then turned back to her own test.

Nearly 40 minutes later, Lanara had managed to finish the whole test. She turned her attention towards Naruto. To her dismay, he was in the exact same position as before. Had he even attempted a question? Naruto had his own talents, but there’s no way he would be able to answer any question on this test without cheating...Lanara shook her head. The only hope was the tenth question, then. 

With exactly ten minutes left in the exam, Ibiki once again moved to the front of the classroom. “I’m about to release the tenth question but before I do so, know that there are some...rules for choosing to answer this question.” Ibiki gave the class a sadistic grin. “You may choose whether or not to answer the tenth question. If you choose not to answer the 10th question, you fail the exam. However, if you choose to answer the 10th question and get it wrong, then not only do you fail the exam and are thus eliminated from competing in the Chunin exams - you will also be barred from ever taking the Chunin exam. You’ll remain a genin forever.” 

The room was silent for a moment, then exploded into a flurry of disgruntled voices. 

“Wait, you can’t do that! That’s not fair!” someone in the front shouted. A few other voices echoed the sentiment, the group’s discontent growing by the minute. Lanara frowned. She’d never heard of genin being unable to retake the Chunin exams. Plus, she didn’t think the leaders of the other villages would take kindly to a leaf ninja dictating that ninjas from other villages could never advance again. 

“Well? Does that mean all of you want to risk it then? You’re willing to risk staying a genin for life?” Ibiki taunted. Silence fell, then slowly one boy stood up, shaking. “Sorry guys, I just can’t risk it!” he shouted at two other kids, who were presumably his teammates. One after another, teams trickled out of the room until only about half of the room remained. Lanara looked over at her teammates. She couldn’t see Sasuke’s face as he was sitting directly in front of her, but Sakura was clearly upset, and looked to be on the verge of raising her hand. She turned her gaze to Naruto, and nearly fell out of her seat in shock.

Naruto was raising his hand.

Dumbfounded, Lanara began to stand, preparing to walk out of the room. All of a sudden, Naruto slammed his hand down on the desk and gave Ibiki a defiant glare. “I WON’T BE INTIMIDATED BY YOU! I’M GOING TO ANSWER THE TENTH QUESTION, AND I’M GOING TO GET IT RIGHT BECAUSE NOTHING IS GOING TO STOP ME FROM BECOMING HOKAGE! BELIEVE IT!” he burst out. Lanara sat back down and grinned broadly, clasping her hands behind her head. She should’ve known better than to doubt Naruto. 

Naruto’s outburst seemed to have steadied the rest of the room. The remaining genin stared at Ibiki defiantly, no one making a move to leave the room. Ibiki looked around the room thoughtfully.

“So no one else wants to leave?” Ibiki asked quietly. When no one answered, he closed his eyes, then to Lanara’s shock, smiled. “Then, congratulations. All 78 of you that are left - you pass.” 

The room was silent in shock. Even Naruto looked taken aback. “Wait, so what’s the tenth question?” he asked, confused. Ibiki sighed. “There was never a tenth question. The purpose lay in the last rule - whether you pass or fail is based on your team. The point was to put pressure on each of you to not let your team down by failing. However, the test that you were given could not possibly be completed by a Genin because of the difficulty level of the test. So, we planted 2 fake genin who knew all the answers to have you all cheat off them. Yes, you were supposed to cheat,” he said, acknowledging the incredulous look on Naruto’s face. The two fake genin stood and waved at the rest of the genin. Lanara grinned - one of the fakes was the boy she had used her ice mirror to cheat off of. Ibiki cleared his throat and continued. “What we were testing was your stealth - could you cheat and finish the test without getting caught too many times? Now, the tenth question. It was a two choice problem - is it worth the risk to take, or not? You will be faced with this problem frequently as a Chunin and team leader. You need to know when the risk is too big to take or if you should stand your ground and fight. Most importantly, you must always remember that any choice you make affects your whole team.” He smiled at the room again. “In this case, it was a risk worth taking.”

Suddenly, the window in the front left of the room exploded, and a woman burst into the room. She gave the class a cavalier grin. “Hello, you rats. My name is Anko Mitarashi, and I’ll be your proctor for Phase 2 of the Chunin Exams.”

Ibiki sighed. “As usual, Anko, you’ve jumped the gun.” Anko cringed, then leered at the room. “Ibiki, you’ve gotten soft, look at how many of these kids passed?”

Ibiki chuckled. “What can I say, this batch is tougher than most.” Lanara swore he had glanced at Naruto when he replied.

Anko smirked back at him. “Well, I guarantee, by the time I’m done with them, half will be gone!”

Lanara rolled her eyes. This woman sure had a pension for the dramatic. Though then again...her eyes drifted towards Naruto. She knew someone else who was like that as well.

Anko lept back over to the window. “Meet outside the 44th training area at 9 am sharp tomorrow morning. Oh, and I suggest you get some rest in the meantime, because you won’t be getting any starting tomorrow.”

The woman then jumped out of the window, leaving those left to gather themselves and leave the room. Lanara sighed and stood up, preparing to head over to her team. She then felt a hand grip her left arm. She turned sharply to glare at the person who’d grabbed her, palming her knife in her right hand. She turned to find Tenouchi, an oddly serious look on his face.

“Wait, Lanara, can we talk,” he asked pleadingly. Lanara snorted. “No,” she bit out, then liquified her arm to escape Tenouchi’s grip. He stared at his hand, then up at her, eyes wide. Lanara winked, then rushed over to her team, who were waiting in the front of the room for her. Before exiting with her team, Lanara let her gaze turn to the back of the room where Tenouchi was still staring at his hand where Lanara had pulled away.  _ What a strange boy. _

**\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Lanara groaned. Her jutsu was progressing, but not nearly as quickly as she needed it to, despite practicing in this little clearing almost every single night for over a month. Frustrated, she picked up her knife and chucked it as hard as she could into the bushes. She heard a thunk, and a quiet yelp of pain. Alarmed, Lanara palmed her knife in her right hand, and crept towards the bushes. Lanara yanked back the bushes, knife at the ready, only to find Tenouchi sprawled on the ground, rubbing his forehead where her frozen knife had struck him. She scowled. What was this boy’s deal?

“What the hell are you doing here,” she growled, not dropping her defensive stance. Tenouchi cracked an eye open and grinned. “Lanara! That was a wicked throw!” He grabbed her frozen knife. “Nice ice jutsu too!” He tossed her the frozen knife, which she caught, still not wavering from her position. Groaning, Tenouchi sat up and frowned at her. 

“Will you please relax? This whole ‘I’ll kill you if you breathe the wrong way’ vibe is really stressing me out,” he whined, still rubbing the growing bruise on his forehead. Lanara frowned but straightened up, backing away to give him space. Tenouchi stood up, and grinned at her. 

“To be honest, I wasn’t sold on you being a Kanaka, but between your whole arm melting trick this afternoon, the giant ice mirror, and the frozen knife, I’m starting to believe it,” he said, grinning widely.

Lanara blew the air out from between her teeth. “Can you just get to the point where you tell me why the hell you’re following me,” she drawled. 

Tenouchi grinned. “I can do better. I can show you why. Try to stab me.”

Lanara cocked an eyebrow. “As appealing as that sounds, what exactly are you up to? If you’re trying something, I swear -”

“Yeah, yeah, we get it, you’ll make me wish I was never born, insert threat, insert threat,” he said, waving his hand nonchalantly. Lanara’s eyes narrowed, and she charged at him. Oddly, Tenouchi just stood there, grinning at her. Furious, Lanara pulled her arm back and stabbed him as hard as she could. To her shock, her knife clanged as it hit his chest, the force reverberating through her entire arm, as if…

As if it had hit solid stone.

Wildly, Lanara’s eyes shot up to look into his, which were dancing with laughter. Slowly, Tenouchi reached his hand to his collar and pulled out a necklace. It looked like an upside down triangle, except the tip of the triangle was missing. He pulled the necklace over his head, and dropped it in his hand. He then held his hand out to her, looking at her expectantly. Numbly, Lanara grabbed the cord around her neck and pulled out her own necklace, which resembled a small ‘x’. She dropped the necklace into his hand. Tennouchi then connected the missing part of his necklace to her ‘x’. The second the two parts connected, the necklace glowed. After 10 seconds, the necklace stopped glowing. Tenouchi dropped Lanara’s necklace back into her palm, who accepted it dumbly. 

A tear rolled down her cheek. For almost two years, she had thought she was alone. The last of her clan. But there was only one answer for what had just happened. She looked up at Tenouchi, whose own eyes were glittering with tears. 

“Let’s start again. My name is Tenouchi, son of Hiroshi, head of the Earth faction of the Kanaka clan. It’s nice to meet you, cousin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SEE! I can be nice to Lanara too!


	11. The Second Exam Begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're into the forest of death!

“Man there are a lot of you here! I’m not worried though. Before I’m done with you sorry lot, more than half of you will be gone,” the proctor, Anko bragged, motioning the group to follow her. Lanara grinned. Anko was the exact opposite of Ibiki - impetuous, outgoing, cocky...her eyes slid to Naruto...and awfully familiar. 

The group stopped at the edge of a gated forest. Anko grinned at the group. “Welcome to the 44th training zone. Or as we like to call it, the Forest of Death.” She gave the group a wicked grin. Lanara cocked her eyebrow. “A little much, isn’t it? All they’re missing are skeletons hanging from the trees and giant signs that say ‘danger’ and ‘do not enter painted in blood-” Sakura nudged her elbow and nodded. Lanara followed her gaze and noticed two giant signs that said…”danger” and “do not enter”, painted in...what looked like bright red blood. Lanara frowned. “You gotta be kidding me,” she muttered.

Sakura gulped. “I don’t know, Lanara. This whole place gives me the creeps.”

Anko’s grin deepened. “It should. They call it the forest of death and soon you’re going to find out why.” 

Lanara and Naruto swung their heads to look at each other, matching looks of disbelief on their face. Naruto grinned, and placed his hands on his hips. 

“They call it the forest of death and soon you’re going to find out why,” Naruto mocked in a high pitch voice, shaking his hips. Lanara snorted, while Sakura and Sasuke glared in annoyance. Anko’s eyes narrowed, then a slow grin spread across her face. Before Lanara could react, Anko had palmed a kunai and thrown it directly at Naruto’s head. The kunai sliced through his cheek, then suddenly Anko was standing right behind him, hand gripping his face.

Lanara palmed her knife and was about to charge the proctor when she felt a hand grab her wrist. She whipped her head around to find Sasuke glaring at her. He shook his head at her. She grit her teeth and shook his hand off.

“I have to admit, I just love the taste of blood,” the proctor said, gently wiping some of the blood off Naruto’s cheek. Naruto had frozen in shock, shivering slightly. Lanara’s patience snapped.

“Hey, what the hell! Leave him alone!” Lanara shouted, stepping forward. Anko narrowed her eyes at Lanara. She opened her mouth to respond, then her eyes darted suddenly to the left and she palmed a knife. A grass ninja had appeared right behind Anko, kunai wrapped in an abnormally long tongue. Lanara’s face twisted in disgust. 

“I just wanted to return your knife. Apologies, the smell of blood just...excites me,” the Grass ninja purred. Naruto and Lanara exchanged looks of revulsion. Anko’s face flashed, but then smoothed into a smile. “Thank you, Grass ninja,” Anko purred. “Now, all of you will be getting waivers you need to sign before you can take this exam. Why do you need waivers? Because the second exam is a survival test, and many of you are going to die.”

The group broke into nervous murmurs. Even Naruto had the good sense to look nervous, though that might have been attributed to his close call with the crazy proctor. Lanara, however, was unimpressed. Her life for the past 18 months had been just an extended survival test. Throwing them into a forest with a campy name was going to be a breeze compared to what she had survived.

The proctor continued. “The exam is going to be held in the 44th training zone, also known as the Forest of Death, which is a swampy region surrounded by locked gates. Inside you’ll find all sorts of monsters and animals all ready to eat you alive, which is why it has its name. Now every team will be competing for two scrolls. The heaven,” she said, holding up a white scroll with ‘heaven’ written on it, “and the earth scroll,” she continued, holding a black scroll with ‘earth’ written on it. “Each squad will receive one type of scroll, and it will be either a heaven or an earth scroll. The goal is for each team to gather one of each scroll and bring them to the center of the forest, where there will be a tower waiting for you. You will have 5 days to complete the exam. Yes, that’s 5 days without a nice comfy bed and hot meals,” she said, grinning. Lanara heard a moan to her left, and saw Choji worriedly going through his bag of snacks. Snorting, she turned back to Anko.

“There are only three rules in this test. One, if a team fails to bring both a heaven and an earth scroll to the tower, you fail. Two, if any member of your team dies or is unable to continue, you fail. And three, this is the most important, if you open either of the two scrolls before you arrive at the tower, you will fail. Under no circumstance should you open the scrolls before the tower. If you do, well, I can’t be responsible for what happens to you then,” she said, grinning malevolently.

“When we call your team, please go into the tents by the gates to grab your designated scroll. Until then, please grab a consent form and take some time to gather yourselves.” With that, Anko and the other gathered Chunin began to pass out the consent forms. 

Lanara grabbed hers and looked around. Her eyes met Tenouchi’s, who inclined his head slightly to her. The two of them had spoken until dawn. His story was much like hers, with the exception that he was still in hiding - the Stone had no idea that he was a Kanaka. Not even his teammates knew. Because of this, the two of them had decided it would be best if they didn’t interact in public, but had made plans to meet the next night they were both able to. Still, it was hard. There was still so much left to discuss.  _ Cousins.  _ She had to forcibly bite her cheek to keep from smiling. The realization that she was not, in fact, the last of her clan was still too much to process. 

Lanara noticed Sakura over by the gates, quietly looking at her waiver. Remembering Sakura’s earlier hestiations regarding the Chunin Exams, Lanara headed over to her teammate. However, the blonde from yesterday, Ino, arrived first. The two immediately started tearing into one another at a level that astounded Lanara. 

“Don’t worry, they’re always like this,” a voice said behind her. She turned to see Ino’s teammates, Shikamaru and Choji, approaching. Shikamaru shook his head. “Honestly, the two of them are terrifying. It’s such a drag.” Lanara nodded in agreement. “Please don’t tell me they’re only like this because of Uchiha,” she asked, trepidation in her voice. Shikamaru and Choji grimaced, much to Lanara’s dismay. “All this nonsense over him, you’ve got to be kidding me,” she grumbled. The sound of crunching and a heavenly smell suddenly caught her attention. She whipped her head to the left, where Choji had opened a bag and was quickly devouring a bag of potato chips. Her mouth watered.

“Are those...barbeque chips?” she asked, longing in her voice. Choji grinned. “Finally, a woman of taste. Of course these are barbeque chips, it’s the best flavor in the whole world,” he replied. Lanara grinned. “You wouldn’t let me have one, would you,” she asked, batting her eyelashes. Choji snorted. “You’ll need to do better than that if you want to take one of these from me. Tell you what - if you can get a chip, you can have the bag. However, if you don’t get any chips from me, then you owe me real barbecue after this test.” 

Shikamaru shook his head. “I would not take that deal, Lanara. You’ve never seen Choji here eat barbeque pork before - he’ll break your bank in one sitting.” 

Lanara grinned at Choji. “You’re on, Choji!” Shikamaru shook his head. “You’re funeral, Lanara. Or rather, your wallet’s funeral,” he muttered. 

“On three,” Choji said, fire burning in his eyes.

Lanara grinned. 

“One, two, THREE!” 

In a flash, Lanara had sliced the bottom of the bag with her knife, then cupped her hands under the bag to catch the remaining chips. There were less than a dozen chips left, and she easily caught the rest in her hands. 

Lanara grinned at the dumbfounded expressions on the boys faces and dropped a chip into her mouth. “So, the bag is mine then?”

Shikamaru burst into laughter. Choji was still staring at her in shock, then gave her a begrudging grin. 

“You’re a worthy adversary, Lanara Kanaka. I look forward to our future battles,” he said solemnly. Lanara grinned and held out her cupped hands. Choji returned her grin in full and helped her finish the rest of the chips. Shikamaru finally collected himself and sighed. “Never thought I’d see the day when Choji would lose when it came to food. That was incredible.” 

“I see you’re still relying on the scraps of others. You really are just the same pathetic little rat you’ve always been,” said a cold voice from behind Lanara. The smile dropped from Lanara’s face as she turned to see Eureka smirking at her, hand on her hip. The group went quiet - even Sakura and Ino stopped bickering. 

“You really need new lines, Eureka, yours are starting to sound tired,” Lanara replied, feigning boredness. She turned to the group. “C’mon, let’s go find the others. We’re getting close to the start of the test.” Lanara turned and began walking the other way when Eureka’s voice cut through the now quiet group.

“It’s cute, you trying to make friends here. Is that really wise though? It's not like anyone around you seems to last long. And a test in the Forest of Death...sounds like a place where lots of...accidents happen. Would be such a shame if something were to happen to these new little pals of yours.”

Lanara blew the air out of her nose. She wouldn’t let Eureka get to her. She wouldn’t let Eureka get to her.  _ Oh, to hell with it. _

Lanara pivoted on her heel and stormed over to Eureka until they were side by side. “Your problem, Eureka, is with ME. Leave them out of it. Threaten my friends again, and you will wish that I had stayed dead,” Lanara replied quietly, without turning to look at the other girl. She turned on her heel and headed back to the group, ignoring the dark laughter echoing from Eureka and the dread building within her.

\-------------------------------------------SAKURA POV-------------------------------------------------------------------

“Gosh, what the hell is with this girl? You better be careful, Sakura, or your team will end up as collateral damage,” Ino muttered as Lanara approached. Lanara looked up to glare at Ino, murder in her lilac eyes. “Now is not the time for another snotty blonde to test me,” Lanara snarled. She inclined her head towards Shikamaru and Choji. “Thanks for the chips,” she muttered, and stormed towards the tents. “C’mon Sakura, we should find Sasuke and Naruto so we can get our scroll. Exam should be starting soon,” she yelled over her shoulder. 

Sakura sighed. It seemed like every time Lanara made a step forward with the Leaf, the Sand yanked her several feet back. Shikamaru shook his head. “Man, that girl is scarier than my mom. Ino, I’d maybe watch what you say around her from now on,” he remarked with a yawn. Sakura frowned, nodding at the three and hurrying after her teammate. This entire week leading up to the exams, Sakura had wrestled with her feelings towards the other girl. It was clear Sasuke refused to trust her. Naruto seemed to have forgiven her completely, but he wasn’t exactly known for having the best judgement. Unable to come to her own decision, she’d settled at just maintaining a healthy distance from Lanara. However, as hard as Sakura had tried to keep Lanara at arms length, a few memories kept nagging at her - Lanara reassuring her about the Chunin exams, Lanara patiently helping Naruto through training, Lanara teasing Sasuke, Lanara stealing Kakashi-sensei’s book and reading out passages as loud as she could, much to their sensei’s dismay. Then yesterday, the second Eureka attacked Lanara, Sakura had known in her heart that, despite everything, Sakura trusted Lanara.

“Hey Lanara -”

“Don’t worry about a thing, Sakura,” Lanara interrupted. She turned to Sakura and smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “I won’t let anything happen to you three. I promise you. So don’t let Eureka bother you, ok?” She looked around, then took off in a light jog to where Naruto and Sasuke were gathered near the tents. Sakura’s eyes followed her teammate sorrowfully.

_ That’s not who I was worried about. _

\------------------------------------------LANARA POV---------------------------------------------------------------------

“Alright everyone, follow me!” Anko yelled, leading the groups over to the front gate. “By now, each of you should have a scroll. Turn in your consent forms, and you’ll be assigned a gate number. Go to your gate numbers. The gates open in 10 minutes, and then the exams will begin.”

Lanara handed in her consent form and followed her team to their designated gate. A few minutes later, the gate doors flew open. 

The second exam had finally begun.

Lanara followed her teammates in, slowly taking in her surroundings. The foliage was thick; even a few feet into the forest and the light was already limited. This level of density also made ambushes easier, which would work both for and against them. Then again…

She looked over at Naruto, who was already loudly needling Sakura. Then again, her team wasn’t exactly the ‘ambush’ type. 

“Before we go charging through the forest, we should probably come up with a plan, don’t you think?” Sasuke said. Lanara nodded, and jogged over to join her team in a loose huddle. Just as Sasuke opened her mouth, however, Naruto began to grin sheepishly.

“Sorry guys...but... I gotta pee,” he said, running over to the nearest bush.

“NARUTO! You can’t just pee right out here in the open in front of girls! That is so rude,” Sakura shrieked. 

“FINE! I’ll go in the bushes,” Naruto grumbled, stomping off into the greenery. 

Unfortunately, Naruto hadn’t moved far enough away that the team couldn’t hear how...satisfying his experience was. A full three minutes later and Naruto made his way back to the group. “Man that was amazing, I spelled my full name and everything.” 

Sakura turned bright red and was just about to start yelling again when Sasuke chucked a kunai straight at Naruto, who managed to deflect it at the last minute. Lanara palmed her knife and narrowed her eyes at Naruto when suddenly she realized what Sasuke had been throwing at. 

“Hey man, what the hell?” Naruto shouted. “You could’ve killed me!”

Sakura looked at Sasuke confused, but Lanara just smiled. “Doesn’t really matter, because you’re not Naruto.” she replied. 

Sasuke smirked. “The real Naruto has a cut on his cheek from when the proctor threw a kunai at him. Also, your weapons bag is on your left leg and you palmed a kunai with your left hand to block my attack. The real Naruto, however, is right handed.”

The fake Naruto smiled. “You guys are sharper than I would’ve thought for a bunch of rookies,” he purred, disappearing into a puff of smoke. It cleared to reveal a Rain ninja, wearing what looked like a diving mouthpiece and white jumpsuit. “So, which one of you kids has the scroll?” 

“Fat chance,” Sasuke drawled, leaping into the air. He quickly formed several handsigns, shouting “Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!” as a rain of fire rained down on the Rain ninja. The ninja dodged easily, but that’s when Lanara realized that Sasuke wasn’t even looking at him but scanning the forest floor. He suddenly tossed a kunai, and a minute later, Naruto leapt through the bushes.  _ So the attack was just a distraction so he could locate Naruto? Clever, Sasuke.  _ Lanara grinned as she palmed a knife and charged the Rain ninja, but before she could reach him, he threw several knives at Sasuke. Frustrated, Lanara pivoted and formed three handsigns, shouting “Ice Style: Frozen Winds Jutsu”. Lanara then puckered her lips and blew a gust of icy wind at the kunai, which froze them instantly. The kunai clattered to the ground harmlessly. Naruto whooped in victory, and even Sasuke grinned. Grinning, she then turned back to the Rain ninja, only to find that he’d disappeared.

“Make any more moves, and I kill this one. Now, where is that scroll!” 

Lanara whipped her head in the direction of the Rain ninja’s voice and felt her stomach drop. The ninja was standing behind Sasuke with his kunai at her teammate’s throat. Lanara grit her teeth in frustration - she’d been so focused on stopping the kunai she’d lost track of the enemy.  _ Sloppy, Lanara! _

“I won’t let you do that!” Naruto cried, chucking his kunai at the Rain ninja from behind. Caught off guard, the Rain ninja jumped out of the way, releasing Sasuke as Naruto’s kunai clattered to the ground next to him. Grinning, Sasuke focused the chakra in his foot to pick up the kunai and chuck it at the Rain ninja, who managed to dodge the attack midair. 

What he didn’t dodge was the knife that Lanara drove into chest.

She gave the ninja an evil grin. “That’s the problem with trying to take on four of us at once - kind of hard to keep track of us all. You were so focused on Sasuke that you didn’t notice that I’d followed you into the air.” 

The Rain ninja grimaced, then took Lanara by surprise by pushing back from her suddenly with his full strength. The force yanked the ninja off Lanara’s knife and drove her backwards. She flipped and landed gracefully on the ground, just in time to see the Rain ninja scamper off into the forest. She grimaced, then turned towards her team. “You lot ok?” she asked, wiping off her knife. 

Sasuke gave her a curt nod, then turned towards Sakura. “Next time, you need to make sure that there isn’t anyone else lying in wait for an ambush. Had his full team been here, you would’ve been killed by just standing by and doing nothing,” he said, not unkindly. She flinched, but nodded. Lanara glanced over at Naruto. “Maybe we should only travel in groups from now on as well,” she remarked. Sasuke shook his head. “We can try that, but we need to come up with a solution in case we are separated. This just shows that just because someone looks like one of us, doesn’t mean that he or she is the real thing,” he replied, sitting down. Naruto and Sakura followed in suit. Lanara shrugged, and sat down across from Sasuke, who appeared to be deep in thought.

After a few moments, Sasuke looked up. “I’ve got it. We need a password.”

“A password?” Naruto asked, confused. Sasuke nodded.

“Yes. That way, if the person gets the password wrong, it doesn’t matter what they look like - it’s an imposter. Listen, because I’ll only say this once. The question will be, ‘When does a ninja strike?’, and the answer is ‘A ninja waits until the time is right, when the enemy sleeps and drops his guard, when his weapons lie forgotten in the stillness of the night. That is the moment for a ninja to strike.’ Got it?”

Sakura grinned. “I got it,” she replied confidently. 

Lanara and Naruto exchanged a confused glance. Naruto scratched at his cheek. “You got one a little shorter,” he asked sheepishly. 

“No, Naruto, that’s it,” Sasuke said, frustrated. 

Lanara closed her eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. “I can literally freeze things and turn any part of my body into water. I think it’ll be fairly obvious if it’s not me, ya know,” she replied snarkily.

Sasuke smirked. “Just admit that you can’t remember it, Lanara.” 

Lanara’s eye twitched in frustration. She opened her eyes to glare at Sasuke, who smirked at her. As if realizing himself, his expression went stone cold. “Not that I really care what happens to you, I just don’t want to fail this test,” he finished coldly, standing up.

Lanara’s glare deepened as she stood as well. For a moment, Sasuke had reverted to how he’d treated her when she was Kairi. It was foolish to expect that moment to last.

All of a sudden, Naruto yelped in pain. The three of them whipped around to check their teammate, who now had a matching cut on his left cheek. Dazed, he brushed the blood now dribbling down his face. “What the-”

Just then, a huge gust of wind ripped through the clearing. Lanara struggled to stay upright, as Sasuke screamed over the wind “what is it this time!”

The wind intensified so forcefully that Lanara was thrown off her feet and carried off into the woods. The last thing she heard before being hurtled through the forest was Naruto yell her name, and then everything went dark. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the last finished chunk I have completed. Let me know what you guys think so far - we'll be diving a bit more into Lanara's backstory in the next chapter as well as in her Prelim fight (which I am SO excited about).


End file.
